Although it has been estimated that 28,000,000 Americans may be children of alcoholics, these individuals have only recently been given serious attention by researchers and clinicians. Empirical studies pertaining to the effects of having alcoholic parents were reviewed and several clusters of characteristics were derived from the findings: (1)…

Adolescent offspring of alcoholics have been found to have higher alcohol reinforcement expectancies than do teenagers from nonalcoholic families. In particular, those with a positive family history of alcoholism expect more cognitive and motor enhancement with alcohol consumption. This study examined the alcohol expectancies of 58 matched pairs…

Alcoholism is a growing problem in America today. Children are becoming addicted to chemicals at a much younger age. Those children who have alcoholic parents and/or grandparents are more susceptible to addiction because of hereditary factors. Children of alcoholic parents live amidst conflict and confusion. Because of this conflict and confusion,…

The problem of adolescent drug/alcohol abuse seems to have once again intensified during the 1980s. When the school is the only constant in an adolescent's life and when those same teenagers bring drugs and alcohol-related problems to school, the school has an obligation to implement change. The first step is identification of the problem. Beyond…

Noting that children growing up with an alcoholic parent often suffer from underdeveloped perceptual skills, unhealthy self-concepts, and low self-esteem, a study examined the impact of an alcoholic family environment on the ability of adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) to communicate interpersonally. The Communicator Style Measure (CSM) was…

The relationships between experiences of parental violence during childhood and the development of alcoholism or victimization by severe violence from a partner in adulthood were examined by comparing samples of women in treatment for alcoholism (N=89), women receiving services for partner victimization (N=94), and a random sample of women (N=99).…

This transcript of a conference presentation describes a motivational model of alcohol use that shows the interrelationship between the various factors that affect drinking. First, a flow diagram is presented and described that shows how complex biological, psychological, and environmental variables contribute to a person's motivation for…

This document presents witness testimonies and prepared statements from the Congressional hearing called to examine mental health trends for treating adolescents with emotional or substance abuse problems. Committee chairman George Miller voices concern that while insurance coverage changes and third party health care reimbursements are expanding…

Psychometric properties of the Alcohol Behavior, Attitude, and Awareness Inventory (ABAA Inventory) were assessed using data collected in 1987 from 799 university students. Results suggested that the ABAA Inventory was internally-consistent (alpha = .82) and stable over time (test-retest coefficient = .77). Subscale alphas ranged from .45 to .92,…

This document is the interim report of a task force on drug and alcohol abuse prevention for Montgomery County, Maryland. The report emphasizes that in order to effect prevention, a partnership between business, schools, and communities is needed. These four tasks of the task force are listed: (1) to determine the extent of the problem; (2) to…

Alcohol researchers have sought to characterize the relationship between cue responsivity and alcohol consumption by alcoholics. This study used the beverage tasting paradigm to test for differences in cue responsivity in adolescent sons of alcoholics. It was hypothesized that, compared to sons of nonalcoholics, sons of alcoholics would be more…

In the last few years, a vast amount of research has accumulated with respect to American children's use of legal and illicit drugs. This research has included cross-sectional studies (which have attempted to determine current drug usage, age of onset for each drug used, and maximum frequency of use in the lifetime); longitudinal studies (which…

To defend against the instability and dishonesty of his family life, the child of an alcoholic parent may adopt the role of the hero--a highly conforming, highly achieving "good child" who seeks to redeem his family and himself through his accomplishments. Children of alcoholics adhere to their childhood roles as adults and may even…

The Grouped Interest Guides are produced by the Acquisition and Reference Services of the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol Information, an information service of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The aim is to provide the reader with a regularly published series of bibliographic references for recent, topical literature in…

This National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism bibliography lists resources and curriculum guides for alcohol education. The first section lists sample State Department of Education publications in the field of alcohol instruction. Thirty-two states are represented; other states' publications are still in preparation. Addresses for…