Cognitive Functioning in Children from Alcoholic and Non‐alcoholic Families

Abstract

Cognitive, academic, and behavioral problems have been reported to occur among school-aged children of alcoholics. Many of these reports have obtained data from very mixed samples of high risk subjects. The present study focused instead on a homogeneous non-disadvarttaged sample of SO male and female children of recovering alcoholics and compared them to 48 male and female children of non-alcoholics using a test battery assessing cognitive functioning. Included were measures of intelligence and academic perforrrtance as well as parental ratings and self ratings of perceived cognitive competence. Statistically significant differences between these two groups on Verbal, Performance, and Pull Scale IQ were not found. Similarly, there were no significant differences in academic performance. However, there were significant differences in mother's perceptions and self-perceptions of cognitive competence. The pattern of results suggest evidence that cognitive functioning problems in non-disadvarttaged children of alcoholics are subtle and perhaps less influential with regard to academic problems than maternal performance expectations and self perceptions of cognitive competence.

Family history of psychological problems in generalized anxiety disorder

“…Parents with alcohol and substance abuse problems have been consistently found to provide less predictable parenting and to create less predictable home environments for children than parents with no substance use problems (Johnson, 2002; Ross & Hill, 2004). Moreover, marital discord, divorce, and child abuse and neglect are more common in families with an alcohol-abusing parent (Johnson, 2001; Ker & Hill, 1992; Sher, Gershuny, Peterson, & Raskin, 1997), and children of alcoholic parents exhibit less secure attachments to caregivers than children of nonalcoholic parents (Eiden, Edwards, & Leonard, 2002). Lack of controllability over one’s environment is a prominent contributor to anxiety (Barlow, 1988).…”

Serious Psychological Distress Among Parenting and Nonparenting Adults

“…[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Parental mental illness is especially important to identify and treat, because 23% to 50% of adults with psychiatric disorders have co-occurring substance use problems, 14,15 which have also been linked to a plethora of poor child-rearing practices, family problems, and negative child development outcomes. [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] Children of parents with psychiatric disorders experience elevated risks for psychiatric disturbance and academic, social, and emotional impairments. 3,13,[28][29][30][31][32] Rates of psychiatric disorders among children with mentally ill parents range from 30% to 50%, 33,34 compared with 20% among children overall.…”

The Relationship between Structural Aspects of Self-Concept and Psychosocial Adjustment in Adolescents from Alcoholic Families

“…Growing up in an alcoholic family has been linked to increased likelihood of intellectual and cognitive impairments, poorer school performance in both social and academic fields, and externalizing (such as delinquency, antisociality, disruptive behaviors, oppositional and conduct disorders) and internalizing problems (such as depression and anxiety) (Chassin et al, 1999;Corte & Zucker, 2008;Ellis et al, 1997;Harrigan, 1987;Johnson & Leff, 1999;Loukas, Zucker, Fitzgerald, & Krull, 2003;Markowitz & Craig, 1992;Puttler, Zucker, Fitzgerald, & Bingham, 1998;Rubio-Stipec, Bird, Canino, Bravo & Alegria, 1991;Sher, 1997). However, other studies have failed to find a link between growing up within an alcoholic family and lower intellectual functioning, poorer school adjustment, and greater behavioral problems (Johnson & Rolf, 1988;Murphy, O'Farrell, Floyd, & Connors, 1991;Preuss, Schuckit, Smith, Barnow, & Danko, 2002;Schuckit et al, 2000). Such discrepant findings highlight the heterogeneity among children of alcoholics and have prompted research designed to identify factors that impact the functioning of children from alcoholic families.…”