A pilot study of school-age children of men with moderate to severe alcohol dependence: maternal distress and child outcomes

Abstract

This pilot study examined maternal characteristics and children's internalizing and externalizing problems among 53 families (26 alcohol-dependent men, 27 controls) recruited from the general community in a north-east metropolitan area. Comparisons by family type revealed significant differences in maternal depression, social support, life events and children's anxiety, depression and problem behaviors. Factor analysis and hierarchical multiple regression revealed that a maternal distress factor accounted for significant amounts of variance in child outcome variables in addition to that accounted for by fathers' alcohol dependence symptoms. Future studies of school-age children of alcohol-dependent men should routinely sample indices of maternal distress to improve assessments of children's developmental contexts.