Children of Alcoholics
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The adult children of alcoholics (ACOA) movement often puts forth the opinion that children of alcoholics exhibit distinct maladaptive traits. However, while the descriptions of the results of having an alcoholic parent are often dire, the empirical research on the topic yields mixed results. Levels of maladaptive traits may be a specific function of being the child of an alcoholic or they may be a function of having a dysfunctional household.
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Personality
Are children of alcoholics more codependent?
Codependence is a A study by George, et al (1999) examined a nonclinical sample and found that students self-reporting alcoholic parentage did not differ from controls on the key traits of the codependent personality. This same study also found that, contrary to popular belief, alcoholic parentage did not seem to raise the likelihood of substance abuse.
Situations
Do children of alcoholics do worse in school?
Affect
Are children of alcoholics more depressed?
A study by Jones and Zalewski (1994) of 60 women found that there was as significant difference in depression as measured by the Depression Proneness Rating Scale between children of alcoholics and non-children of alcoholics.
Cognition
Does being the children of an alcoholic cause shame?
Studies have shown that children of alcoholics do not feel more general shame as measured by the Shame-Proneness Questionnaire (Wright and Heppner 1991).
A study by Jones and Zalewski (1994) of 60 women found that there was no significant difference in levels of shame as measured by the Adapted Shame/Guilt Scale between children of alcoholics and non-children of alcoholics. A study of fourth to sixth grade students by CK Morey (1999) found no difference in scores of internalized shame for COA and non-COA students.
Some theorize that children of alcoholics might feel specific shame with regards to their parent's behavior.
In a study of the relationship between parentification, when parent-child roles are reversed, and shame, parentification was significantly related to increased shame proneness, as measured by the Test of Self-Conscious Affect (TOSCA). Research has shown that parentification occurs to a greater degree among children of alcoholics (Goglia, Jurkovic, Burt, & Burge-Callaway, 1992).
Children of alcoholics have been shown to exhibit higher scores of codependency on the Beattie Co-Dependency Checklist (Jones 1991) and scores on that test have been linked to higher feelings of shame on the Test of Self-Conscious Affect (TOSCA) (Wells, Glickauf-Hughes, Jones 1999).
Also see Children of Alcoholics and Shame
Behavior
Do children of alcoholics use alcohol more?
Do children of alcoholics exhibit more aggression?
Are COA more hyperactive?
A review by West and Prinz (1987) found that many empirical articles up to that time did indeed find that children of alcoholics were more hyperactive using various measures, but that establishing causality was difficult. In some studies, children of alcoholics were no different from children of other disturbed parents (Fine et al. 1976). Effects were further confounded with fetal exposure to alcohol and a possible genetic component to ADHD.
Theory
What theories relate to Children of Alcoholics?
Who
Who studies Children of Alcoholics?
Other Resources
What other resources on Children of Alcoholics exist?
http://www.adultchildren.org/ - Adult Children of Alcoholics is a Twelve Step, Twelve Tradition program of women and men who grew up in alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional homes
Children of Alcoholics: A Critical Appraisal of Theory and Research a book by Kenneth J Sher
