Alcoholic family marital heterogeneity aggregates different child behavior problems both pre- and postseparation

Abstract

Children of alcoholics (COAs) are at risk for elevated internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Yet, little is known about the familial and behavioral adjustments of COAs following parental separation. Using an ecological-transactional framework, we examined how multiple risk factors contributed to the formation of different alcoholic family structures and how living in heterogeneous family structures affected COAs' behavioral problems. The Michigan Longitudinal Study, a multiwave study on initially intact alcoholic and control families with preschool-age children (n = 503), was used to evaluate outcomes of offspring, when families either remained intact or were separated when the child was aged 12-14. Alcoholic families who later transitioned into stepfamilies were characterized with higher paternal antisociality, marital aggression, and serious family crises than alcoholic families that remained intact. COAs in stepfamilies (but not in single-parent families) exhibited higher levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in preadolescence compared with those in alcoholic intact families, in part because of elevated behavioral risk at age 3. Structural equation modeling indicated that the aggregated risk of stepfamily residence directly related to COAs' internalizing and indirectly related to COAs' externalizing problems, partially mediated by family stressors. Findings suggest targeting COAs in separated families for early intervention.

Prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress among adults in Ghana: A community-based cross-sectional study

“…This finding is consistent with the finding by Smith and Randall which found a significant association between alcoholism and anxiety [55]. This finding could be that individuals who become alcohol dependent mostly face financial and social challenges such as rejection and stigmatization which consequently makes them anxious [56,57]. Also, this could be because people who are alcoholic have higher tendencies of living with chronic non-communicable diseases like hypertension which is known to exert grievous strains on the mental health of victims [58][59][60].…”