ALCOHOLIC-CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS

Records of 1930 alcoholics (410 women), reared by both biological parents and admitted to the Hazelden Rehabilitation Center in 1974 or 1975, were analyzed to determine the proportions reporting alcoholism in neither, one, or both parents. Of the men 79% reported alcoholism in neither parent, 15% in the father only, 3% in the mother only and 3% in both parents; 73% of the women reported alcoholism in neither parent, 16% in the father only, 4% in the mother only and 7% in both parents. Women were 1.8 times more likely than men to report maternal alcoholism and 1.3 times more likely to report paternal alcoholism. Children of 2 alcoholics were more likely than children of 1 alcoholic (who were more likely than the children of nonalcoholics) to be younger when first intoxicated, to have more pretreatment behavioral problems and to proceed more rapidly from first intoxication to alcoholism treatment. The number of alcoholic parents was unrelated, however, to the severity of the disorder at time of treatment, the prognosis at completion of treatment and the outcome at 4, 8 and 12 mo. after discharge from treatment.