Thesis (S.T.M.)--Trinity Lutheran Seminary, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-113).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Alliant International University, California School of Professional Psychology, San Francisco Bay, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (42-45) and abstract.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, and San Diego State University, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-84).

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Christine Ohannessian, Dept. of Individual & Family Studies. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

The specific purpose of this study was to try and understand why unique experiences of living with an alcoholic parent could create developmental deficits which emotionally challenge COAs' when faced with the life lessons a college environment offers. This study offered four possible explanations for experiencing challenges in its theoretical background: (1) psychosocial development, (2) the epistemology of alcoholism and its effects on the family, (3) personality development and the concurrence of building resilience, and (4) the college environment itself, with the phenomenon of binge drinking--forcing COAs to confront family alcoholism. A total of 7 participated in this study--4 men and 3 women. Despite the dynamic differences in the answers overall, all 7 participants acknowledged one important concept. When the participants were asked about their own drinking habits, each participant said, though in different ways, they had to be careful with their drinking habits. Participants seemed to be aware that whether alcoholism is genetic or a learned addiction, they were at risk of becoming alcoholics themselves. This study found overall, as previous literature suggests, no matter how COAs are studied, they are found to be a heterogeneous population. Specifically, this study's results points out that they are indeed heterogeneous, yet similar in that all participants in this study, it could be argued, exhibit some vulnerability in regard to parental alcoholism.

No description available.

The primary purpose of the present study was to investigate a specific area of cognitive functioning to determine if any differences exist between adult children of alcoholics and controls in the processing of emotionally laden word cues. Of secondary importance was the investigation of group differences in self-esteem, extroversion, neuroticism, and attentional control. A modified version of the Stroop Colour Naming Task was used to investigate selective processing of word cues in a sample of 37 adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) and 37 adult children of non alcoholics (non ACOAs). All subjects were university students who volunteered for the study. The original form of this task required subjects to name the color of ink in which a word was printed while ignoring word content. Modified versions of this task substitute target words and control words for the words standardly used in order to investigate attentional bias for relevant word cues. As predicted, ACOAs were significantly slower than non ACOAs on this task. There was also a significant group x word type interaction. Compared to non ACOAs, ACOAs displayed a significant attentional bias in favor of alcohol and social threat words compared to neutral and positive words as evidenced by increased response times on the Stroop Task. There was also a significant main effect for word type with response time slowest for alcohol words and fastest for positive words. There were no significant group differences in self-esteem, extroversion, neuroticism, or attentional control. The results were discussed in terms of a generalized attentional deficit for the overall slower response time exhibited by the ACOA group. The more specialized Stroop effect of attentional bias for alcohol and social threat words was discussed in terms of the development of danger schemata based on previous life experiences perceived to be threatening. / Graduation date: 1992

The effects of parental alcohol dependence on children have been well documented in the literature. Parental alcohol dependence has been linked with negative developmental outcomes such as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, difficulties in school and conduct problems in children (Johnson, 2001). However, some studies have indicated that there may be some protective factors in the environments of children of alcohol dependent parents (COAs) which promote positive developmental outcomes for such children (Menees & Sergin, 2000). The current study focused on parental supervision as a protective family factor that is linked to conduct competence in COAs. The participants’ perception of parental supervision was measured using the Parental Monitoring Assessment and their level of conduct competence was measured using the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory. The Weinberger Adjustment Inventory includes four domains of conduct competence: suppression of aggression, consideration of others, impulse control and responsibility. The main hypothesis of the study was that the participants’ perception of parental supervision correlates with their level of conduct competence with regards to the four domains. The sample included twenty adolescent males who were recruited through their fathers’ involvement in an alcohol rehabilitation program. The results indicated that the participants’ perceptions of parental supervision correlate with levels of conduct competence in the domains of consideration of others, there is no correlation between perception of parental supervision and conduct competence in the domain of responsibility, whilst there is a negative correlation between perception of parental supervision and conduct competence in the domains of suppression of aggression and impulse control. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.