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The differential effects of parental alcoholism and mental illness on their adult children
Author(s) -
Williams Oliver B.,
Corrigan Patrick W.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/1097-4679(199205)48:3<406::aid-jclp2270480320>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - psychology , dysphoria , anxiety , mentally ill , clinical psychology , depression (economics) , psychiatry , mental illness , self esteem , trait anxiety , developmental psychology , mental health , economics , macroeconomics
Growing up in a household with alcoholic or mentally ill parents is more likely to produce lower self‐esteem, greater dysphoria, and more anxiety in adulthood. To test this hypothesis, 139 undergraduate and graduate students completed measures of anxiety, depression, social avoidance, self‐esteem, and social support. Results showed that adult children of alcoholics, adult children of mentally ill, and adult children of substance‐abusing mentally ill had lower self‐esteem and were more socially anxious than normal controls. Adult children of mentally ill parents were more depressed and showed greater trait anxiety than did adult children of alcoholics and controls. The impact of parental pathology is diminished when the adult child has a large and/or satisfactory social support network.