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(February 20, 2007) -- COLUMBIA, Mo. (UPI via COMTEX) -- A U.S. study has determined people raised in alcoholic families have personality traits that might eventually lead them to alcohol dependency.

The multiyear University of Missouri-Columbia research study is being led by psychology Professor Kenneth Sher. He and graduate student Jenny Larkins compared personality differences of individuals from alcoholic households to those from non-alcoholic environments.

When the study started in 1987, individuals with family histories of alcoholism scored higher than their counterparts on both a neuroticism scale measuring such characteristics as anxiety, depression and emotionality and on a psychoticism scale that measures traits related to aggression, egocentrism and anti-social behavior.

As participants in both groups aged, the researchers found an overall decrease in neuroticism and psychoticism levels. However, Sher said those from alcoholic environments maintained relatively higher levels of deviant behavioral and emotional traits during adult maturation.

The research has been published in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

Source: UPI

Last updated: 02/07

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