Variables associated with the adjustment of offspring of alcoholic fathers

A multivariate model of adjustment was used to examine the role of moderator variables hypothesized to provide insight into the adjustment of children of alcoholics. The moderator variables (family environment, social support and coping behaviors) were assessed retrospectively. Present adjustment was also assessed using the Depression-Proneness Rating Scale and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. As hypothesized, children of alcoholics, compared with children of nonalcoholics, described their families as more dysfunctional and reported receiving less guidance from others. Children of alcoholics also reported engaging in avoidant coping behaviors (e.g., smoking, drinking, eating) more than did comparison subjects. Despite their disadvantages, many children of alcoholics were functioning at, or well above, the average level of children from nonalcoholic families. Through regression analysis it was found that the moderator variables were extremely useful in accounting for the variability in offsprings' adjustment, providing support for the use of a multivariate approach for understanding offsprings' adjustment.