Challenges Facing the Children of Alcoholics

It is estimated that one in four children in the United States is exposed to alcoholism or drug addiction in their family. Millions of children under the age of 18 live in a home with at least one alcoholic parent.

最重要的是，因为他们是孩子酗酒者，他们本身的遗传和更高的环境风险成为酗酒者。

虽然许多这些孩子患上了严重的问题，但他们中的许多人通过在酗酒的家中成长而不发展任何精神病理学或药物滥用问题。

Serious Coping Problems

One study found that while many children of alcoholics developed serious coping problems by the age of 18, the majority (59%) did not develop such problems.

研究人员发现，虽然经验分享这些特征，但儿童可以充分发挥作用良好：

• 获得积极的注意力从其他的能力rs
• 足够的沟通技巧
• 平均智力
• 一种关怀的态度
• 渴望实现
• A belief in self-help

Lower IQ, Verbal Scores

许多研究将酗酒者儿童与非酒精儿童进行比较，重点是认知功能。一项研究发现，在提出的儿童中较低的智商，性能和口头分数较低酗酒的父亲, compared to those raised by nonalcoholic fathers.

Another study found lower Full IQ and verbal scores, but not on tests for performance (a measure of abstract and conceptual reasoning).

Performance Within Normal Ranges

对家庭受过教育的酗酒者的研究，其父母住在家中发现，来自的智商，算术，阅读和口头分数的分数降低alcoholic families。

然而，尽管得分较低，但在上述所有研究中，含酒器的儿童在正常的智力测试中进行。

低估了他们的能力

与来自非酒精家庭的儿童相比，来自不弱势群体的家庭儿童的酗酒者的另一个研究没有发现他们的分数没有差异。然而，他们发现酗酒者的孩子低估了自己的能力。

此外，他们发现酗酒者的母亲估计了孩子的能力。这些看法可能会影响孩子的动机，self-esteem研究人员说，和未来的表现。

学术表现，而不是智商分数，可能更好地衡量与酗酒父母生活的影响。许多酗酒者有学术问题。

Many Have Academic Problems

这些问题包括：

• 重复等级
• Failing to graduate from high school
• Referrals to school psychologists

研究人员认为，虽然认知赤字可能会受到部分责备，但家庭环境的激励困难和家庭环境的压力可能有助于学术问题。

Higher Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety

父母酗酒与孩子中的一些心理疾病联系在一起。研究发现，酗酒者儿童的情绪功能可能受到离婚，父母焦虑或情感障碍的负面影响，或家庭或生活情况的不良变化。

Many studies have found that children from alcoholic homes have higher levels of萧条和焦虑并且表现出更多的症状，而不是来自非酒精家庭的儿童。

More Extreme Depression

Children of alcoholics show more depression symptoms than children of nonalcoholic homes and their self-reported depression is more frequently on the extreme side of the scale, researchers found.

来自酒类住房的儿童经常被诊断出进行疾病。他们的老师们经常对非酒精家的儿童来说，他们的教师们往往更加过度活跃和冲动。

Behavioral Problems

Behavioral problems of children of alcoholics often include:

• Lying
• 偷窃
• 战斗
• Truancy
• 学校行为问题

Greater Delinquency, Truancy

酗酒者的儿童更大的犯罪和学校逃学风险。父母滥用酒精与酗酒者儿童的诊断障碍有关。

Researchers have found that families of alcoholics have lower levels of:

• 家庭凝聚力
• Expressiveness
• 独立
• Intellectual orientation

酗酒家庭的冲突水平较高，问题解决能力受损，敌对的沟通，但在酗酒之外的家庭中存在这些问题。然而，在酗酒之家中，父母的持续饮酒有助于破坏家庭生活。

家庭功能障碍的影响

面临酗酒者的一些问题可能不会与家庭本身的酗酒者有关，而是对酗酒家庭可以产生的社会和心理功能障碍。

For example, one study found that children with alcoholic parents are less likely to become alcoholics themselves if their parents consistently set and follow through on plans and maintain such family rituals as holidays and regular mealtimes.

Parent Getting Into Recovery Helps

Additionally, one study found that when the drinking parent stops drinking and gets into recovery, it lessens the emotional stress on the children. Researchers found that the emotional functioning in children of recovering alcoholics was similar to those of children of nonalcoholics.

然而，同样的研究发现，当酗酒的父母时，酗酒者的孩子会报告更高水平的焦虑和抑郁症复发。

其他功能失调的孩子们

面对研究人员对酗酒院人成长的儿童影响的研究人员正在努力确定这些问题的程度，以及它们与酗酒直接相关或其他功能失调行为。

Many times the investigators may overestimate the extent of the problems because the participants in their studies are taken from children who are in trouble or in treatment. Only the most troubled youth enter treatment and the justice system, so those clinical "samples" may be extreme.

Dysfunctional on Many Levels

It is also difficult to determine if the problems described in酗酒者的孩子are specific for parental alcoholism, or do they occur as often in other dysfunctional families. If so, then the problems may not be alcohol-specific.

Regardless, the fact remains that homes with an alcoholic parent can become very dysfunctional on many levels and those situations place the children at risk for a wide variety of negative consequences.