Effects of substance use spans generations

A new study reaffirming the importance of intergenerational transmission of substance use problems:

In a long-term study conducted across three generations, researchers found that substance use in one generation was associated with problem behaviors and later substance use in the following generation. In turn, the substance use in the second generation was related to problem behaviors in the third generation.

The findings suggest that 'not only does parent's substance use affect their children but it also can affect their grandchildren,' study co-author Jennifer A. Bailey, of the University of Washington, in Seattle, Washington, told Reuters Health.

On the other hand, 'the benefits of successful intervention may also echo across generations,' Bailey and her co-authors write, so the findings highlight the importance of interrupting the intergenerational cycle.