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The Role of Family Influences in Development and Risk

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Family influences on the growth and development on kids can be perceived in

parenting practices, distinct emotional learning experiences, and family climate. Family

influences have been documented as a risk factor in children’s development of addiction.

Numerous studies suggest that kids of alcoholic parents at a higher risk for various

Behavioural, emotional and cognitive problems compared to peer raised by non-alcoholic

parents. According to the National Association of Children of Alcoholics. as of 2017, 1 in 4

kids (under 18 years of age) grow up in homes impacted by alcoholism (Wenger, 2017).

These kids are more likely to suffer neglect and child abuse, compounding existing

predispositions towards substance abuse and mental illness. The article ‘’The Role of Family

Influences in Development and Risk’’, seeks to address the role of family influences on

development of children of alcoholics. Ellis et al. (1997) notes that certain influences in the

family climate play a significant role in children of alcoholics’ risk of developing alcoholism

as well as other mental health issues. These risks factors may include both alcohol-

nonspecific influences and alcohol-specific influences. According to the authors examples of

alcohol-specific influences are family’s ethnic background, development of alcohol

expectancies and modelling of parental drinking behaviour while general family

psychotherapy, family’s socio-economic status and parental psychopathology are some

examples of alcoholic-nonspecific factors that increase the children’s risk of alcoholism and

behaviour disorders.

It is evident that the issue of family influence on the development of kids is no simple

issue. The stance taken by the article is one that has received massive backup over the years.

For instance, Glynn (1981) carried out a review of studies into addiction among Children of

Alcoholics. Postulating that various family factors such as the family’s economic standing,

family atmosphere, and parent’s behaviour are some causes of addiction, Glynn revealed that

a parent’s substance abuse behaviour or habit was the most significant factor that affected
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children’s substance abuse. He explains this using Bandura’s social learning theory which

suggests that modelling and observation play a significant role in why and how individuals

learn. Glynn (1981) argued that if a child identified with the guardian and the existing

relationship between the child and parent was good, the child would have a higher probability

of becoming an addict of a similar substance because the child tends to model the behavior of

their parent.

Research by David & Chassin (2005) also revealed that parental alcoholism

represented a significant risk factor for maladaptive behaviour in children that extend beyond

alcohol addiction to illicit drug abuse. Specifically parental alcoholism has been linked to

both early onset of alcoholism and with persistent alcoholism abuse through adulthood. This

research followed five-hundred and forty-five adolescents over a 15-year period to monitor

their use of drugs. The researchers attempted to look for existing differences in patterns of

drug abuse and drug experimentation into early adulthood between kids of non-alcoholics and

children of alcoholics. Based on the research findings, COA’s maintained a consistent level

of drug abuse, in that by ages 25 to 30, their levels of drug use were significantly higher

compared to kids of non-alcoholic parents (David & Chassin, 2005). The results of this study

indicate that as a repercussion of parental abuse of alcohol, COA’s did not follow the normal

trend by which children are anticipated to ‘’mature out’’ and reduce their drug abuse before

the age of 30. Another study completed by Hall & Webster, (2007), predicting substance

abuse in COA also suggested that COAs were at significant risk of becoming alcoholics as

adults. Employing adoption research, the researchers adopted the hypothesis that alcoholic

parents would have direct impact on their children’s future drug abuse. The researchers

conclude that even at young ages COAs displayed more conducts issues than those of non-

alcoholics and that they were at risk for issues relating to emotion regulation, internalizing

their bodily symptoms ad negative emotions.

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While Ellis et al. (1997) has demonstrated that the alcoholic patterns of parents and

their kids are correlated, significant uncertainty and confusion still exists regarding how

parental alcoholic behaviors increase the kid’s risks for alcohol issues. Although the articles’

concept on the influence of family on child development is a good one backed, Parental

drinking behaviour is not usually the cause of alcoholism in children. In addition to

alcoholism, a wide range of family influences is correlated with both externalizing behavior

(such as aggression and antisocial behaviour) and alcohol problems in children. For instance,

the family background of children who turn out to be alcoholics or who suffer from mental

disorders are often attributed to other factors such as marital instability, poor discipline,

family conflict and lack of support. Although these family issues are rampant in alcoholic

families (having at least one alcoholic parent) and therefore may significantly contribute to

the COA’s risk for development, they also impact the development of non-COA’s. It is

important to note that although each of these facets of family issues has received empirical

attention, many studies suggest that problems with child-parent relationship may be the most

significant pathway via which family factors tend to influence the outcome of the child. Most

essential, Jacob et al. (2008) notes that inadequate parenting characterized by spiked hostility

and criticism levels and/or lack of affection, inconsistent supervision and discipline or lax,

and lack of parental involvement, offers a strong foundation for the onset of mental disorders

and antisocial behaviour patterns in kids. While Ellis et al. (1997) Argued that Children of

Alcoholic (COA’s) are about five to six times likely to develop alcohol addiction and exhibit

increased rates of psychopathology, Ahmadi et al. (2014) who investigated the influence of

parenting styles on child development discovered that authoritative style of parents (i.e.,

displays warmth but exerting appropriate control) is related to low levels of drug abuse in

kids, when compared to the despotic style of parenting (i.e., restrictive, authoritarian, and

heavy employment of punishment as a means of control). Ahmadi et al. (2014) suggested that
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both the permissive and despotic parenting styles predisposed a tendency towards risky

behavior in kids.

According to Jacob & Johnson (1994) a strong relationship exists between adult

antisocial behaviour, adolescent delinquency, child conduct disorder, and alcoholism, as well

as between adult alcoholism and antisocial behaviour. the close relationship between these

two indicated that child-parent interactions that display aggressive, antisocial behavior play a

crucial part in the alcoholism etiology of both non-COA’s and COA’s. Another study among

13- to 17-year-olds by Sher (1991) found that both maternal and paternal drinking issues

were not predictive factors of substance use including alcoholism. The findings of this study

indicated that unsupportive and chaotic family condition were much more predictive factors

of risky behavior in children.

Overall, the article by Ellis and his colleagues is a straightforward, well written article

that contributes to the literature on the relationship between family influence and child

development. To sum up, it is now firmly established that family environment, parenting

effects, to be precise, strongly impacts children’s risk of alcohol abuse and development of

mental disorders. The most substantial and comprehensive evidence for such influence is

derived from the social learning theory that ahs for years traced family influences on the risk

and development of children. The results of this analyses have resulted to a reasonably clear-

cut consensus that children’s alcohol use and family environment are intertwined, particularly

in families having alcoholic parents. Although COA’s are generally at greater risk of

becoming alcohol abusers themselves, it is worth-noting that more than half of Children of

Alcoholics show no alcohol issues, and not every family with an alcoholic parent displays

signs of mental disorders. Furthermore, although various styles of parenting may heighten

COA’s risk for risky behaviour, numerous COA’s exhibit significant resilience in these

disadvantaged environments and either mature out of them or develop no behaviour issues. In
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general, great variability and heterogeneity exists among Children of Alcoholics and their

families and among their outcomes.

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References

Ellis, D. A., Zucker, R. A., & Fitzgerald, H. E. (1997). The role of family influences in

development and risk. Alcohol Health and Research World, 21(3), 218.

Wenger, S. (2017). National association for children of alcoholics. Alcohol Health and

Research World, 21(3), 267.

Flora, D. B., & Chassin, L. (2005). Changes in drug use during young adulthood: the effects

of parent alcoholism and transition into marriage. Psychology of Addictive

Behaviors, 19(4), 352.

Sher, K. J. (1991). Children of alcoholics: A critical appraisal of theory and research.

University of Chicago Press.

Glynn, T. J. (1981). From family to peer: A review of transitions of influence among drug-

using youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 10(5), 363-383.

Jacob, T., Krahn, G. L., & Leonard, K. (2008). Parent-child interactions in families with

alcoholic fathers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59(1), 176.

Hall, C. W., & Webster, R. E. (2007). Risk factors among adult children of

alcoholics. International journal of behavioral consultation and therapy, 3(4), 494.

Jacob, T., & Johnson, S. (1997). Parenting influences on the development of alcohol abuse

and dependence. Alcohol health and research world, 21(3), 204.