This study explored the relations between parental problem drinking, adolescent-parent communication, and adolescent psychosocial adjustment. Surveys were administered to a diverse sample of 683 15-17-years-old adolescents in the spring of 2007 and again in the spring of 2008. Results indicated that paternal problem drinking directly predicted…

This study examined media use and psychological adjustment (as indicated by depression and anxiety symptomatology) in a sample of 328 14- to 16-year-old adolescents. Primary goals of the study were to explore whether media use differs by gender, whether media use is related to adolescent psychological problems, and whether media use moderates the…

Examined rituals in alcoholic and nonalcoholic families. Data from 241 adolescents, 114 mothers, and 104 fathers revealed that children of alcoholics and children from nonalcoholic families differed on their report of meaning associated with family rituals. Found significant interactions between father-adolescent family ritual scores and…

Most research uses a family systems level approach to examine the long range impact of parental substance abuse on the family. In this article, a micro-level approach is used to examine the immediate impact of parental substance use on adolescent adjustment. (Contains 1 figure.)

The relationship between stress and adjustment and the perceived severity of father's drinking was studied in a random sample of adolescents in a southeastern general population. Significant differences were found on measures of psychophysiological stress, degree of anger usually expressed and activities used to relieve depression. Children of…

Data from past studies on adolescent alcohol misuse and family structure of adult alcoholics formulate a picture of family environment which contains high levels of anxiety, maintenance of the problematic behavior by the family, parental modeling of inappropriate alcohol use, and lax parental control. (Author)

A significant minority of teens and preteens suffer from anxiety disorders, depression and other mood disorders, behavior problems, and drug and alcohol addiction. Others have low self-esteem, difficulty coping, and feelings of insecurity. Given the harmful consequences of such disorders, policymakers and practitioners should be alert to teens…

Nonclinical, adolescent children of alcoholics and their peers from nonalcoholic families (total n=231) responded to questionnaires of environmental variables, depression, and anxiety. Although two groups differed on measures of anxiety and depression, environmental stressors contributed most to discriminant function that differentiated between…

Study examined the psychodynamic pathways and social processes which place children of alcoholics at risk. Assessments of 63 adolescents in families with at least 1 alcoholic parent were compared to a control group taken from non-alcoholic families. Differences were found in anxiety variables, self-image variables, and aggression variables. (RJM)