Psychosocial Correlates in Adolescent Children of Alcoholics: implications for intervention

Introduction: There has been an increasing focus on children of alcoholics particularly in the West seeking to understand the impact of parental alcoholism on their psychosocial functioning. Indian literature from this perspective is scanty and there is a need for more comprehensive investigation particularly with adolescent children of alcoholics (COAs). Objectives: This comparative study investigated the manifestation of self-esteem and adjustment in a group of fifty adolescent children of alcoholics (COAs) and a matched reference group of adolescent children of non-alcoholics (nCOAs). MATERIAL & METHOD: The Self esteem Index (Mac Kinnon, 1981) and Adjustment Inventory (Srivatsa and Tiwari, 1972) were the instruments administered. An ex-post facto research design was used. Chi square, t-tests and Karl Pearson’s correlation coefficients were computed using SPSS for analysis. Findings: The data revealed lower self-esteem and poor adjustment in all domains studied, in the adolescent COAs than the controls. These deficits can be attributed to the increased stress and vitiated alcohol complicated domestic environment of the COAs. Clinical Implications: This study makes a strong case for psychosocial intervention with COAs who are otherwise neglected in conventional de-addiction programmes in India.