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Published on: July 13, 2014
Paternal alcoholism and toddler noncompliance
R Das Eiden1, K E Leonard, S Morrisey
1Research Institute on Addictions, and Department of Pediatrics, State University of New York at Buffalo, New York, USA. eiden@ria.buffalo.edu
Insights
Sons of alcoholic fathers show increased noncompliance in toddlers. Daughters of alcoholic fathers did not exhibit this behavioral undercontrol, suggesting gender-specific effects of parental alcoholism.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Parental alcoholism poses risks to child development.
- Understanding its impact on early childhood behavior is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of fathers' alcoholism on toddler compliance.
- To identify associated risk factors influencing child behavior.
Main Methods:
- 215 families with 12-month-old children were assessed.
- Parental substance use, family functioning, and parent-child interactions were evaluated.
- Child compliance was measured at 18 and 24 months via cleanup tasks.
Main Results:
- Sons of parents with alcohol problems showed higher noncompliance rates.
- Sons in dual-alcoholic parent families trended towards increasing noncompliance.
- Daughters in dual-alcoholic parent families displayed opposite compliance patterns.
Conclusions:
- Early behavioral undercontrol risk is evident in toddler sons of alcoholic fathers.
- This risk was not observed in daughters, indicating gender differences.
Background:
This study examined the effect of fathers' alcoholism and associated risk factors on toddler compliance with parental directives at 18 and 24 months of age.
Methods:
Participants were 215 families with 12-month-old children, recruited through birth records, who completed assessments of parental substance use, family functioning, and parent-child interactions at 12, 18, and 24 months of child age. Of these families, 96 were in the control group, 89 families were in the father-alcoholic-only group, and 30 families were in the group with two alcohol-problem parents. Child compliance with parents during cleanup situations after free play was measured at 18 and 24 months. The focus of this paper is on four measures of compliance: committed compliance, passive noncompliance, overt resistance, and defiance.
Results:
Sons of alcohol-problem parents exhibited higher rates of noncompliance compared with sons of nonalcoholic parents. Sons in the two-alcohol-problem parent group seemed to be following a trajectory toward increasing rates of noncompliance. Daughters in the two-alcohol-problem parent group followed an opposite pattern. Other risk factors associated with parental alcohol problems also predicted compliance, but in unexpected ways.
Conclusions:
Results indicate that early risk for behavioral undercontrol is present in the toddler period among sons of alcoholic fathers, but not among daughters.
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