The aim of this study was to investigate how children are affected by growing up with alcohol-abusing parents. The study was carried out through a qualitative study where the method was individual interviews with a total of five social workers active in social services. Collected data have been analyzed on the basis of social learning theory and attachment theory as theoretical starting points. Then, the collected data was analyzed through the previous research.The studys three questions were answered during the course of the study, where results showed that children are negatively affected in relation to the parents alcohol abuse andresulted as a result of, among other things, mental illness, poor school performance, fear andmore. If the social services experience concern or suspicion that a child is doing badly athome, they can act to help the child, they can act to help the child affected by parents alcoholabuse. Several of the respondents argue that the social services should have interventions forthe children and help with their mental illness. The study shows clear shortcomings in efforts from, among others, social services. Together, children can experience that home conditionsare destructive and insecure when it comes to parental abuse. Parentification is verycommon among these children during the course of the study, which can have majorconsequences for the childrens personal development.

Objectives: the specific objectives of the study are identified as follows: 1) to determine the influence of impulsivity on alcohol abuse, (2) to determine the peer group influence on alcohol abuse, (3) To determine the interplay of gender on alcohol abuse and (4) to determine whether interaction between impulsivity, peer group influence and gender has any an effect on alcohol abuse. Method: data was collected from three hundred (300) student participants randomly selected. Age of participants ranged from 17-40 years with mean age of 21. The statistical analysis used was a three way analysis of variance. Results: Results revealed a significant main effect of impulsivity on alcohol abuse, F (35.696, p < 0.001) as well as gender, F (20.869, p < 0.001) but there was no significant effect of peer group influence on alcohol abuse. In addition, it was noted that the interaction between the three variables had no significant effect in predicting alcohol abuse. Recommendations: Universities should create educational programmes for students and this should be done preferably in the first quarter of the year while recognizing that there are transition issues related to entering universities and adaptation could be negatively at its peak especially during the first few months, which makes it a critical period for prevention and intervention activities. / Thesis (Soc.Sc.(Clinical Psychology) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2014

Master of Science / Journalism and Mass Communications / Nancy W. Muturi / Kenyan society has seen problems with alcohol abuse and has seen many deaths related to illicitly brewed alcohol. A Kenyan government body, The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), has done research about the problem, but very few outsiders have performed research in this area. This research seeks to study the problem from outside of the standard government framework while using a cultural approach. The purpose of this project is to document the alcohol abuse problem in Kenya, and what methods of mass communication, if any, could be used to help convey a solution to the problem. It is to provide a firsthand account of the alcohol abuse problem that plagues the East African nation in an effort to bring more and awareness to the situation. To document the situation, I interviewed several key cultural figures chosen based on their affiliation with the academic, religious, medial or cultural framework of Kenyan society. Each person was asked a serious of questions regarding the alcohol problem in Kenya, what could be done from their particular perspective, and how the media have and could influence the situation. The information gathered indicated that the alcohol problem is widespread in Kenya, that the people with alcohol problems tend to be men, and that the problem is multifaceted and very complex. Many factors contribute to the problem, such as idleness, poverty, unemployment, and more, and the problem affects many more people than just the people drinking the alcohol. The information gathered is meant to help provide suggestions to helping solve this problem in Kenya. Recommendations from this research will provide guidance for those who are trying to create media campaigns to combat alcohol abuse in Kenya.

Thesis advisor: Rebekah Levine Coley / Substance abuse and dependence are among the nation's leading health issues, leading to more illnesses, disabilities, and deaths than any other modifiable health condition. Substance use among youth is of particular concern, as rates are higher than among any other age group and because early use is associated with a higher risk of later abuse and dependence and a higher incidence of related risk-taking behavior. Thus, a better understanding of the causes of substance use problems is a central issue. The primary goal of this study was to examine genetic and environmental predictors of youth alcohol and drug abuse and dependence. This study expands upon extant research by being the first to utilize a genetic risk score (GRS) approach to examine the joint effect of four dopaminergic genetic polymorphisms on substance abuse and dependence, by incorporating cumulative measures of environmental risk and promotive factors, and by examining gene-environment interactions (GxEs) and gender differences in substance use predictors, thus allowing for a more comprehensive assessment of environmental and genetic influences than has previously been attempted. Analyses were conducted on a national longitudinal sample of 1,396 Caucasian youth who participated in surveys and DNA sampling in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, with individuals followed from adolescence (ages 12-18) into early adulthood (ages 24-32). Logistic regression analyses examined main and interactive effects of cumulative environmental risk and promotive factors and genetic risk scores on clinically significant alcohol and drug abuse and dependence in early adulthood. Analyses were conducted separately for males and females to examine gender differences in substance use predictors. Results show that a dopaminergic GRS index significantly predicted the likelihood that female, but not male, youth will meet clinical criteria for substance abuse and dependence, even after accounting for cumulative environmental influences. No evidence of GxE was found. These results provide a better understanding of the etiology of substance abuse and dependence and provide evidence of the utility of GRS methods for studying genetic influences on substance use behaviors. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

In today’s college culture, more universities in the United States are confronted with the escalating societal problem of alcohol abuse. Some say college-aged alcohol consumption is a rite of passage, or a way of enjoying college life. Others say such behavior is a start of a life-long tragedy of addiction and destructiveness. The photographs in Requiem for A Drink were taken at the University of Iowa which capture the excessive profanity of disoriented intoxication, inhibition, and disregard for the environment. The stark scenes of the aftermath ultimately signify the morning after, a sunrise filled with nausea, hangovers, and regret. This photographic series provides the viewer with the images to answer this question: when does alcohol consumption transition from a pleasurable party scene to one of personal destructiveness?

Background. We examined the association between parental alcohol use disorders and patterns of alcohol consumption and DSM-IV alcohol use disorders in their offspring in a community-based sample of young adults. Methods. Data are based on baseline and 4-year follow-up data of 2427 respondents aged 14–24 at baseline. Alcohol use and disorders in respondents were assessed using the Munich-Composite-International-Diagnostic-Interview with DSM-IV algorithms. Diagnostic information about parents was collected by family history information from the respondents, and by direct interview with one parent (cohort aged 14 to 17 years only). Results. Although the association between maternal and paternal alcohol use disorders and non-problematical drinking in offspring was minimal, there was a strong effect for the transition to hazardous use and for alcohol abuse and dependence; the effect of parental concordance for transition into hazardous use was particularly striking. Maternal history was associated with a higher probability of progression from occasional to regular use, whereas paternal history was associated with progression from regular to hazardous use. Parental alcoholism increased the risk for first onset of hazardous use and alcohol dependence between the ages of 14–17, and for an earlier onset of the alcohol outcomes in offspring. The impact of parental alcohol use disorders was comparable for male and female offspring. Conclusions. Parental alcoholism predicts escalation of alcohol use, development of alcohol use disorders and onset of alcohol outcomes in offspring.

This dissertation attempts to uncover the causal relationship between alcohol abuse and both income growth and crime. These two research questions are investigated in three essays: Essay I investigates the relationship between alcohol abuse and income growth in the United States; Essay II examines the impact of alcohol abuse on income growth at the international level; Essay III investigates the effect of alcohol abuse on crime in the united states. Essay I of this dissertation uses state level data from the United States for the period 1970-1998 to estimate the impact of alcohol abuse on income growth by utilizing per capita beer consumption as the measure of alcohol abuse. Results suggest that, even though generally small, there is a negative relationship between alcohol abuse and income growth once the endogeneity between income growth and per capita beer consumption is addressed by utilizing levels of excise alcohol taxes and the Minimum Drinking Age Law of 21 as instruments. These results indirectly favor the previous research on two dimensions: First, alcohol abuse generates a significant burden on the economy; Second, increases in excise alcohol taxes would be efficient in terms of income growth. Essay II of this dissertation uses data from 72 countries for the period 1960-1995 to estimate the impact of alcohol abuse on income growth by utilizing per capita beer, wine, liquor, and total ethanol consumption as the measures of alcohol abuse. Results suggest that, even though generally small, there is a negative significant relationship between per capita beer consumption and income growth once the endogeneity between income growth and per capita beer consumption is addressed with system GMM dynamic panel estimators. These results show that per capita beer consumption is the medium of alcohol abuse not only in the United States, but also around the world. Moreover, these results favor the previous research on the fact that alcohol abuse generates a significant burden on economies. Essay III of this dissertation uses state level data from the United States for the period 1982-2000 to investigate the relationship between crime and alcohol abuse by utilizing per capita beer consumption as the measure of alcohol abuse. Potential endogeneity between per capita beer consumption and crime is addressed by using excise beer taxes and alcohol control measures as instruments. Results show that alcohol abuse seems to have a positive impact overall on the crime rate. Nevertheless, the effect is not uniform among different crime types. In the case of property crime types, results suggest that alcohol abuse plays a more important role in crime types that require a lesser degree of organization and more spontaneity (i.e., larceny theft versus burglary and motor vehicle theft). In the case of violent crime types, results suggest that the impact of alcohol abuse is more pressing in non-murder crime types versus murder. These results have policy implications: excise alcohol taxes and alcohol control policies may play a role in reducing certain crime types, which are larceny theft, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, but not the other crime types, which are burglary, motor vehicle theft, and murder.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-144).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-73).

BACKGROUND: Maladaptive patterns of alcohol consumption can lead to clinically significant impairment or distress and have been established as a partial cause of a wide variety of health conditions, including neuropsychiatric disorders, cardiovascular diseases, hepatic inflammations, certain cancers, and infectious diseases. In the United States, Hispanic and non-Hispanic white (NHW) men have comparable rates of moderate alcohol consumption, however, Hispanic men are more likely to consume higher volumes of alcohol and with more frequency and experience disproportionate levels of adverse health and social consequences of alcohol abuse when compared to NHW men. Further, Hispanic men face greater barriers than NHW men in accessing, engaging, and completing alcohol abuse treatment services despite the contrasting burden of alcohol-related consequences they face. OBJECTIVES: This dissertation is composed from three studies addressing the following aims to: 1) synthesize the culturally- and gender-responsive components of alcohol and substance abuse and dependence treatment programs designed for Hispanic males in the United States; 2) explore Hispanic male perspectives and opinions regarding alcohol use and abuse patterns that may lead to disparate rates of alcohol abuse in Hispanic males in the United States; and 3) examine U.S. Hispanic male perspectives regarding the barriers to alcohol abuse treatment-seeking related behaviors that lead to disparate treatment engagement and completion rates. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted for Aim 1 in which articles reporting on culturally- and/or gender-adapted alcohol and/or substance abuse interventions designed exclusively for Hispanic males were identified. Aim 2 and Aim 3 used semi-structured interviews to elicit Hispanic male perspectives of alcohol abuse and alcohol abuse treatment seeking behaviors. Separate thematic analyses were conducted as per the objectives of Aims 2 and 3. Data analysis was based on a deductive process including a preliminary codebook that was supplemented with inductive codes that surfaced during iterative thematic analyses. RESULTS: Regarding Aim 1, literature searches yielded 2685 titles, resulting in 12 articles that fit the parameters of the review. The most scientifically rigorous findings suggest that cultural adaptations may outperform standard treatment for Hispanic men (n=6). Nevertheless, a fraction of the included interventions (n=4) did not improve outcomes compared to standard treatment. Considering the scarce number of publications, it is difficult to discern how much findings reflect ineffective interventions or methodological limitations. Findings for Aim 2 indicate that there are intersected effects of machismo, a culture of normalized overconsumption, social context stressors, and poor coping strategies that may influence maladaptive relationships with alcohol use. Findings for Aim 3 suggest that treatment seeking behaviors are highly influenced by; a) structural factors related to treatment accessibility, and linguistic and cultural-responsiveness of available treatment, b) sociocultural factors related to difficulties problematizing alcohol abuse due to lack of knowledge and cultural normalization of consumption, and societal stigmatization of alcohol abuse treatment, and c) individual factors related to machismo-bound pride as well as lack of knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Given the rapid expansion of the Hispanic population in the United States, and the parallel growth of alcohol abuse implications in this population, it is imperative that we learn where these problems may be rooted to better understand how to diminish the existing gaps. Collectively, these findings point to the need for treatment providers to disseminate accurate information about treatment availability and eligibility, and the treatment process. This work also illustrates the need to for consciousness building efforts targeting the Hispanic male community regarding the detrimental effects of alcohol-related problems and treatment, in order to diminish the stigma. Increased or redistributed funding for linguistically and culturally responsive programs is also needed in communities with large Hispanic populations in order to meet the growing demand, particularly for the uninsured. Further research is needed to identify other potential barriers and recovery resources for this population and other Hispanic subgroups in other parts of the United States.