Running head: CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS 1

Julisa Segovia

Children of Alcoholics

ENG 102
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There is nothing wrong with a child seeing their parent have a drink occasionally, it starts

to become an issue when the parent becomes irresponsible with their drinking and allowing it to

affect their child. My mother, who was an alcoholic herself, did not make childhood easy. When

she drank, she made it noticeable; with yelling, and aggressive behavior. Acting like this in front

of me has left a traumatic scar that I have suffered with behavior issues myself. Children of

alcoholics are the biggest, set population to be affected by alcoholism. Aside from all the

potential side effects of being a child of an alcoholic; comparing children of non-alcoholics to

those children of alcoholics. It is likely that children of alcoholics are more likely to develop

behavioral problems opposed to children of non-alcoholics.

Being able to understand what leads these parents to drink that drives them to act

aggressively toward their child. In the article, Response to Adults’ Angry Behavior in Children

of Alcoholic Parents and Non-Alcoholic Parents, researches state, “Paternal arrest, low socio-

economic status, and maternal psychiatric disorders are linked to parental alcoholism.” (1989). In

most cases, reasons behind excessive drinking usually has to do with stressful predicaments.

“Children of alcoholic families have high unemployment difficulties and poorer economic

situation.” (Serec et. al.).With easy access to alcohol, it is no wonder as to why alcohol is

considered and anti-depressant. This constant abuse of alcohol is not only affecting themselves,

but their children as well. Researchers, Guttmannova, Hill, Bailey, Hartigan, and Small’s,

discuss how parental alcoholism has shown to connected to as a major component of difficulties

in children development. However, in the article Relationships Functioning among Adult

Children of Alcoholics, Bodkin and Leonard make a good point that although all research is

relevant, “research has focused on children of alcoholic fathers and relatively little is known

about the impact of maternal alcoholism.” (2007).

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Being exposed to alcoholic, aggressive behavior can cause aggressive behavior within the

child. Most aggressive actions from parents are likely to come from the outcome of alcoholic. An

article written by Mary Heitzeg, Joel Nigg and others, cite Slutske (2002), how, “externalizing

behavior problems are elevated in children of alcoholic parents.” Meaning it is likely for children

who have behavior issues, to show them. However, Jacobs of Effects of Alcoholic Intoxication

on Parenting Behaviors states in his studies that, “alcohol-related effects did not… differentiate

from any other groups,” (1999). Although aggressive behavior can be shown in alcoholic

children it has also been found that there is no difference in alcoholic children and non-alcoholic

children. Temperament and Behavioral Problems among Infants in Alcoholic Families discusses

the relationship between temperament and alcoholism. Researchers of this article mention this

discussion of temperament and parental alcoholism, and input that when the two interact they

create subsequence behavioral problems. (2001). However, Sihyun Park and Karen Schepp,

exclaim, “children are immature and vulnerable: they are easily affected by the environment in

which they have grown up,” (2014). With this being said, it can go on to support the argument

that children of alcoholics are likely to develop behavior problems. Although they make a point

that every child is vulnerable, being put in vulnerable situations (such as alcohol set

environment) it becomes easy to act by what is exposed.

To add to the children of alcoholics and their difficulties growing up as one, not only

does exposure to aggressive alcoholic behavior create aggressive behavior, it creates a negative

social behaviors. Researches of the article, Effects of Alcohol Intoxication on Parenting Behavior

in Interactions with Child Confederates Exhibiting Normal or Deviant Behaviors, found,

“exposure to drinking parents might be expected to contribute something to the difficulties of

individuals who grow up under their influence,” (Lang et. al). When a child witnesses a parent
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who abuses alcohol become less and less social around them, it is easy for this behavior to

influence the child into their own isolated behavior. On the other hand, researcher, Suzanne

Lease, describes claims in her article that although there have been many studies to support that

alcohol can correlate to aggressive behaviors, studies she has looked into have not supported the

alcoholism leads to any negative social behaviors. (2002). Edwards, Eiden, Colder, and Leonard,

from the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, found that children with parents that are

antisocial alcoholics showed a more significant rate in behavior problems. (2006). Being anti-

social can easily open one up to act aggressively. The constant state of wanting to be alone and

not socialize makes it extremely frustrating when people do try and be around you.

With this being said, although parental alcoholism influences many negative attributes to

their child’s development, alcoholism is extremely impactful when it comes to behavior. A lot of

it has to do with the behaviors of the parents themselves. Aggression, can be driven through the

aggressive actions parents take when under the influence of alcohol. Having anti-social behavior

can also be taught by a parent. Parents are a child’s biggest teacher, when parents make bad

decisions, (especially under the influence) with their child watching there is no denying that this

child will not be impacted. Children of alcohols are the largest, set population affected by

alcohol.
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Reference Page

Ballard, M., Cummings, E. M., Response to adults’ angry behavior in children of alcoholic and

nonalcoholic parents. Journal of Genetic Psychology. 15(2). 195-209.

Edwards, E.P., Eiden, R.D., Colder, C., Leonard, K.E. (2006). The development of aggression in

18 to 48 month old children of alcoholic parents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.

34(3). 409-423.

Guttmannova, K., Hill, G. K., Bailey, A. J., Hartigan, A. L., Small, M. C., (2016). Parental

alcohol use, parenting, and child on-time development. Infant and Child Development.

26(5). 5-20.

Heitzeg, M., Nigg, T. J., Yau, W. W., Zubieta, J., Zucker, A. R., (2008). Affective circuitry and

risk for alcoholism in late adolescence: Difference in frontostriatal responses between

vulnerable and resilient children of alcoholic parents. Alcoholism: Clinical and

Experimental Research. 32(3). 414-426.

Kearns, J.N.B., Leonard, K.E. (2008). Relationship functioning among adult children of

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Lang, R. A., Pelham, E. W., Atkeson, M. B., Murphy, A. D. (1999). Effects of alcohol

intoxication on parenting behavior in interactions with child confederates exhibiting

normal or deviant behaviors. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 23(3) 177-189.

Lease, S. H. (2002). A model of depression in adult children of alcoholics and

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Park, S., Schepp, K.G. (2014). A systematic review of research on children of alcoholics: Their

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Singh, A. (2017). Self-efficacy and well-being in adolescent children of alcoholic parents.

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