Adjustment issues with adult children of alcoholics

• Published in: Journal of clinical psychology Vol. 50; no. 5; pp. 786 - 792
• Main Authors: Hall, Cathy W., Bolen, Larry M., Webster, Raymond E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brandon Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.09.1994; Wiley; Wiley Periodicals Inc
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living - psychology; Adaptation, Psychological; Adjustment; Adolescent; Adult; Adult children; Alcoholic parents; Alcoholism; Alcoholism - psychology; Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Child of Impaired Parents - psychology; Children of alcoholics; Educational Status; Factors; Family environment. Family history; Female; Happiness; Humans; Internal-External Control; Life Change Events; Male; Medical sciences; Personal Satisfaction; Personality Development; Personality Inventory; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Self Concept; Social Adjustment; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Social research; Human; Locus of control; Life events; Parent; Alcoholism; Satisfaction; Early traumatism; Family environment; Adult; Quality of life
• ISSN: 0021-9762; 1097-4679
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-4679(199409)50:5<786::AID-JCLP2270500517>3.0.CO;2-C

The current study assessed locus of control, general level of life satisfaction, and self‐reported grade‐point averages among adults who had experienced either alcoholism within the family of origin, traumatic life events other than alcoholism, or who indicated neither problem during their childhood. Results indicated that both the adult children of alcoholics (ACOA) and traumatic experience (TE) groups had lower life satisfaction scores than the control group. Significantly lower levels of locus of control also were found for the ACOA group in comparison to the control group. There were no significant differences among the three groups based on self‐reported GPAs. Results of the current study support the concept that family dysfunction during childhood can influence negatively later life experiences and adjustment.