Parental Alcohol Problems and Children's Behavior & Psychosocial Characteristics

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Alcohol problems of parents have an influence on not only their psychological problems but also on their children's psychosocial adaptation. The purpose of this study was to compare the emotional and behavioral problems, including school bullying and social skills, between children of alcoholics (COAs) and children of non-alcoholics (non-COAs). METHODS: We recruited 4th grade children (n=741) from 7 primary schools in Seoul and their parents as subjects. The self-rated psychiatric symptoms were assessed with the Korean version of the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST-K), the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), the Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale (RSES), the School Bullying Scale, the Social Skill Rating Scale and the Korean version of Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire-Adolescent (AEQ-A). The Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale-IV (ARS) was completed by the parents. RESULTS: 518 children were non-COAs and 223 were COAs. The COAs showed higher CDI and ARS-IV scores and lower RSES scores than the non-COAs. Especially, the COAs also showed higher school bullying scale scores and lower cooperative scale scores on the social skill rating scales. But there was no difference of alcohol expectancy between the COAs and non-COAs. CONCLUSION: It was plausible that the COAs had more behavioral & psychosocial problems than the non-COAs among the school aged children. It is important to identify and intervene to solve the problems of peer relationships of school age COAs in order to prevent victimization by bullying and to improve psychosocial adaptation.