ENVIRONMENTAL AND PERSONALITY-DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS AND THEIR PEERS

Nonclinical, adolescent children of alcoholics (COAs) and their peers from nonalcoholic homes (CONAs) responded to questionnaires of environmental variables, depression, and anxiety. Multivariate (discriminant) analyses revealed several meaningful differences between the two groups. Although the two groups differed on the measures of anxiety and depression, environmental stressors contributed most to the discriminant function that differentiated between the two groups. Also, gender differences were discovered, suggesting that males and females perceive problem drinking differently and that home environments may be different for the two genders. Implications for research and intervention are discussed.