A structural model of parental alcoholism, family functioning, and psychological health: The mediating effects of hardiness and personal growth orientation.

The purposes of this study were to (a) determine whether personal growth orientation and hardiness mediated the relations of parental alcoholism and family functioning to psychological well-being and distress; (b) determine whether this mediational model was invariant across women and men; and (c) examine the role of parental alcoholism in a model that included family functioning. Personal growth orientation appeared to mediate fully the relation of family functioning to distress for both genders. For women, hardiness appeared to mediate partially the relation of family functioning to well-being. For men, this relation appeared to be fully mediated by hardiness. The models were predominantly invariant across genders. Parental alcoholism had no direct effects on well-being or distress; indirect effects were found through family functioning, personal growth orientation, and hardiness. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences in distress among adult children of alcoholics.

Investigated within-group differences in psychological distress, social support, and hardiness among adult children of alcoholics (ACAs). Members of ACA support groups (21 men, 58 women) were compared to ACA college students (27 men, 40 women) not involved in such support groups. Support group members reported higher levels of psychological distress, lower levels of hardiness, and less satisfaction with perceived social support than did the college student ACAs. Support group members also reported more negative feelings, attitudes, and behaviors with regard to parental alcoholism than did the college students. For both groups, hardiness and social support were negatively correlated with psychological distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations among parental alcoholism, eating disorders, and substance abuse in nonclinical college women: Additional evidence against the uniformity myth.

In an effort to examine the uniformity myth as it pertains to adult children of alcoholics (ACAs), the relationship of presence of parental alcoholism to eating disorder symptomatology and substance use in a nonclinical, female college sample was examined. In addition within-group differences among ACAs related to level of distress concerning parental alcohol use were examined. Parental alcoholism was not related to substance use and minimally related to eating disorder symptomatology. Level of distress differentiated among ACAs in terms of two eating disorder variables. The results add additional evidence to the notion that not all ACAs are alike and that not all suffer from psychological problems. Implications are discussed, and recommendations for future research are made. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)