A comparison between children of alcoholic fathers from excellent versus poor social conditions

In a longitudinal research project, the authors have followed up the children of male alcoholics from the lowest social class. The results of these studies have shown that, when they are still small, the children exhibit signs of mental disturbances and that the boys, when they become adults, develop social maladjustment problems and addictions, and have a high rate of both somatic and psychiatric diseases. In comparison to their controls, the values found for these variables are consistently higher for the probands. In the present study, a comparison was made between 85 children of alcoholic fathers from the highest social class and 100 children of alcoholic fathers from the lowest social class. The results indicated that the former group was just as likely to develop social maladjustment problems, including abuse of alcohol and drugs, while they were growing up as the latter group of children. Viewed from this standpoint, it is apparent that, regardless of which social background they grow up in, children are in a risk-zone if the father is an alcoholic.