The Extent of the Problems and the Epidemiological Aspects of Alcohol Drinking
Victor R. Preedy, Ronald R. Watson in Alcohol and the Gastrointestinal Tract, 2017
Children of alcoholics are a high-risk group in terms of various outcomes including child abuse and incest, emotional disturbance, delinquency, and poor school performance. In particular, children of alcoholic mothers are at risk for fetal alcohol syndrome, characterized by prenatal and postnatal growth deficiency, a pattern of abnormalities including short palpebral fissures, epicanthic folds, ear anomalies, maxillary hypoplasia, minor joint and limb anomalies, cardiac defects, and mental retardation.57 A prospective study at the Boston City Hospital showed that 32% of infants born to heavy drinkers had congenital anomalies, as compared with 9% in the abstinent and 14% in the moderate drinking group.58 Even moderate alcohol drinking during pregnancy has been associated with decreased infant birth weight.59-61 There is evidence that ethanol and/or its metabolic products exert a direct toxic effect on the fetus in animal studies.62 Another experimental study has shown that exposure to alcohol via the mother's milk leads to long-term deficits in cellular immunity.63
Children of Minority Groups and Substance Abuse
Pedro J. Lecca, Thomas D. Watts in Preschoolers and Substance Abuse, 2014
Throughout this review, it has been emphasized that children of alcoholics learn certain attitudes and values concerning family, themselves, and alcohol through the interaction in their families. The purpose of this chapter is to explain how cultural patterns of behavior learned by alcoholic families through interaction in cultural communities affect the different ways they seek and respond to service delivery. The caregiver concerned with the children of alcoholic families needs to understand family and cultural issues before intervening with or treating the child. Strategies of education and treatment depend on such understanding. Therefore, this chapter reviews some of the understanding provided by present and past research in the following areas: What function does alcohol serve in the cultural group?How docs the cultural group regard alcoholism?What role do the members of the family and cultural community play in the treatment or prevention of alcoholism?
Parental alcoholism
David Morley, Xiaoming Li, Crispin Jenkinson in Children and Young People's Response to Parental Illness, 2016
Like most other therapies, Al-Anon is designed for use with adults. Alateen is the companion programme to Al-Anon for use with teens affected by alcoholism in family or friends (www.al-anon.org/for-alateen). Alateen groups are similar to Al-Anon groups, although somewhat greater emphasis is placed on developing coping strategies, and reducing feelings of self-blame or responsibility for the behaviour of the alcoholic. Other than Alateen, there are few intervention programmes for young children of alcoholics. Most are school-based programmes, and are focused on providing social support, helping children to cope with the emotional and other problems associated with parental alcoholism and providing information about alcoholism. Unfortunately, there is little evidence supporting the effectiveness of these interventions (Copello et al., 2005).
Children exposed to alcohol-related problems and DSM-5 alcohol use disorder in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Published in Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 2019
Raul Caetano, Patrice A. C. Vaeth, Glorisa Canino
Fewer efforts have been directed at estimating the number of children exposed to alcohol problems in U.S. households. Unfortunately, however, the existing estimates vary considerably. Russell, Henderson, and Blume (1985) estimated that there were approximately 6.6 million children of alcoholics under the age of 18, and that one out of every eight Americans (12.5%) was the child of problem drinkers. Eigen and Rowden (1995) provided a larger estimate: 17.5 million children of alcoholics under the age of 18 lived in the United States. In a more recent study, Grant (2000) estimated that 15% of all U.S. children under the age of 18 (9.7 million children) were exposed to alcohol abuse and/or dependence in the family. Drawing on the 1995 National Alcohol Survey, Ramisetty-Mikler and Caetano (2004) estimated that the numbers of children in U.S. households exposed to an adult with an alcohol problem or to someone who was alcohol dependent were 11.5 million and 2 million, respectively. The Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (2012) estimated that 7.5 million children, 10.5% of all children in the United States, lived with a parent with an alcohol problem. Finally, Kaplan, Nayak, Greenfield, and Karriker-Jaffe (2017) reported that 7.4% of individuals with parental responsibilities over children in a 2015 U.S. household sample reported that alcohol harmed a child they cared for in the past year.
A study of resilience among young adult children of alcoholics in Southern India
Published in Journal of Addictive Diseases, 2020
Sudharshan Hebbani, Johnson Pradeep Ruben, Sumithra Selvam, Srinivasan Krishnamachari
Alcoholism is a major public health problem worldwide.1 It affects the immediate family members as much as it affects the person who is misusing.2 However, several investigators have noted that a significant number of Children of Alcoholics (COA) and young adult children of alcoholics (YACOA) do not exhibit emotional psychopathology and lead a productive life despite having a traumatic childhood.3,4 This state of positive adaptation on the cognitive and behavioral plane in the face of adversity is defined as resilience.5,6 It is important to understand various positive psychological factors associated with resilience among YACOA to get a holistic view of their positive adaptation.7 Studies have identified a strong association between psychological well-being and resilience among YACOA.8 In a study of 459 adult college going children of alcoholics that examined the role of positive psychological constructs of psychological well-being and self-esteem in enhancing resilience, psychological well-being was strongly positively associated with measures of resilience.9
Experiences and reactions of adolescent offspring to their fathers’ heavy drinking: A qualitative study from an urban metropolis in India
Published in Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 2022
Prasanthi Nattala, Pratima Murthy, Mitchell G. Weiss, Kit Sang Leung, Rita Christopher, Jessy Sharoon V, Sumegha S
Service providers should be mindful of the far-reaching effects for children growing up in an environment of addiction when planning interventions, particularly in view of the increasing problem drinking in India. The present findings speak to the need for developing and implementing comprehensive and coordinated services that extend their focus to the children, as part of a regular addiction treatment/intervention regimen. Further, while there are documents from expert groups indicating a comprehensive approach to addictions management (e.g. Lal et al., 2005; WHO, 2007), the current study findings indicate the need for the development of intervention programs and modules by government bodies and health organizations that address the specific needs identified in this group. Studies, structured manuals, national helplines and associations available in developed countries acknowledge the public health and clinical priorities of responding to the adverse impact of addiction on children and families (e.g. National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA), 2001; Peleg-Oren & Teichman, 2006; Community Research Company (CRC), 2012). The present study addresses the need for more specific approaches in India that are needed to enable children struggling with alcohol dependence in the family, to overcome stigma and seek help.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Alcoholism
- Anxiety
- Codependency
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Psychometrics
- Substance Dependence
- Disease Model of ADDiction
- Health System
- Self-Esteem
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder