Coping resources and self-perceived well-being of college students who report a parental drinking problem

Nine hundred eighty undergraduates from a major university completed a questionnaire designed to collect data on the associations between parental drinking and the students' coping resources and well-being. Three groups were identified: those with a parental alcohol problem (DP+), those with no problem (DP-), and those who were unsure. Discriminant analysis revealed similarities between the DP+ and unsure participants on the response variables. The coping resource scores of the DP- group were significantly higher than the scores of the DP+ and unsure groups. The unsure group had the lowest mean scores on the total coping resources inventory and on the Cognitive, Emotional, and Spiritual and Philosophical subscales. The DP+ group had significantly lower scores than the DP- group on the Cognitive, Spiritual and Philosophical, and Physical scales. Although DP+ students' perception of well-being was significantly lower than that of their DP- peers, the entire sample was reasonably healthy, as measured by the General Well-Being Schedule.