NCJ Number
227265
Journal
Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly Volume: 27 Issue: 1 Dated: January-March 2009 Pages: 3-18
Date Published
January 2009
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the effects of parental alcoholism on the differentiation level of young adults.
Abstract
Results suggest that parental alcoholism affects differentiation levels across all four Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI) subscales. Results suggest that certain experiences within alcoholic families influence the development of differentiation in adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs). Overall, family health seems to bolster levels of differentiation in ACOAs. Family conflict had an adverse effect on differentiation levels of ACOAs, predicting decreased levels of I position and increased levels of emotional cutoff. Family health, emotional expressiveness, and family cohesion seem to also predict higher levels of fusion. These unexpected results may point to a tendency of alcoholic families who are relationally involved to become over involved. It may also point to the difficulty of defining healthy limits for family concepts such as cohesion and fusion. Additionally, specific indices of family health and dysfunction, as parental availability, parental divorce, experiencing child abuse, and witnessing spousal violence seem to have varying affects on differentiation levels of ACOAs. Results indicate that when the non-drinking parent is consistently available, ACOAs are less likely to experience emotional cutoff. When the nondrinking or the problem-drinking parent is more available, ACOAs are more likely to experience higher levels of fusion. Data were collected from 813 college students. Table and references