Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Quantification of Social Behavior in Adult Rats
Published on: December 14, 2014
A comparison of the psychosocial functioning of children with drug-versus alcohol-dependent fathers
Cathy G Cooke1, Michelle L Kelley, William Fals-Stewart
1Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA.
Abstract:
The present study compared the psychosocial functioning of children whose fathers primarily abused illicit drugs other than alcohol (n = 51 ) to children from a demographically matched sample of families whose fathers abused alcohol (n = 51). Children with drug-abusing (DA) fathers exhibited significantly more negative child behaviors on a standardized child-rating scale than did children from homes with alcohol-abusing fathers. In addition, a significantly greater proportion of children with DA fathers met clinical cutoffs indicative of psychosocial impairment (n = 23: 45%) than did children whose fathers abused alcohol (n = 5; 10%). Mediation analyses indicated that severity of drug, legal, medical, employment, and family problems partially mediated the relationship between type of family (i.e., families with fathers who had an alcohol problem versus families with fathers who had a drug problem) and children's psychosocial adjustment.
Related Concept Videos
Drug Dependence
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
Parenting Styles
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative Parenting
This...
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Relationship with Parents: Attachment

