Study seeks to determine the relationship between parental alcoholism, feelings of self-esteem and depression among children of alcoholics (COAs) in a sample of 649 African-American adolescents. The three instruments employed are discussed as well as the study results. Implications for counseling and prevention efforts among African-American…

Because of high levels of risk behavior, adjudicated adolescents are at high risk for negative health outcomes such as nicotine and drug addiction and sexually transmitted diseases. The goal of this article is to examine relationships between future orientation and impulsive-sensation-seeking personality constructs to risk behaviors among 300…

Clinicians involved in family therapy are increasingly concerned with the impact of parental alcoholism on individual development and family functioning. With more than 20 million adults raised within an alcoholic family, and with widespread problems associated with parental alcoholism, clinicians providing family treatment have a potentially…

This study describes the prevalence of alcohol and drug use, abuse, and dependence among adults on the Texas-Mexico border in 2002-2003. The findings are based on survey responses from a random sample of 1,200 adults living in households in three communities: El Paso, a densely populated city in west Texas; the less dense urbanized areas of the…

This study examined the association between different types of integration in the gay community and HIV risk among gay male couples. Previous research linking gay community integration and involvement among couples to HIV risk has been equivocal. Each partner in 59 gay couples completed a separate anonymous questionnaire that assessed two types of…

Estimates of the prevalence of alcohol dependence among Americans approach 14% (Read, Kahler, & Stevenson, 2001). Alcohol dependence was once considered among the most recalcitrant of problem behaviors, with only 20% to 30% attaining sustained abstinence (Hunt Barnett & Branch 1971). Although current definitions of treatment success now consider…

Beginning with an introduction to the concept of family recovery, this article explores its stages and three distinct types of families in recovery. The primary focus, however, is the impact family recovery has on pre-teens and adolescents who are the "forgotten" family members in this radical and traumatic long-term process. (Contains 2 tables.)

In comparing the personality characteristics of late adolescent and young adult children of alcoholics with those of their peers, it was found that individuals with grandparents who were alcoholics in the absence of parental alcoholism were very similar to children of alcoholics. Grandparents may exert a social influence by passing on…

This report describes recent progress in knowledge on alcohol abuse and alcoholism. These topics are covered: (1) alcohol abuse and alcoholism, including drinking patterns, etiology, and alcohol dependence as a disease; (2) epidemiology, including morbidity and deaths; (3) genetics and environment, including twin and adoption studies, animal…

Despite increases in the minimum legal drinking age, national studies show that 82 to 92 percent of college students consume alcohol, with about 20 percent considered as heavy drinkers. Students who drink may have particular needs for focused education or intervention, but all students can benefit from education regarding the full range of alcohol…

The stated objectives of this document are: to increase awareness of and clarify the risks facing children of substance abusers (COSAs) through a review of recent empirical research literature; and to examine the prevention and intervention issues involved in providing services to these youth in the schools. The literature review deals mainly with…

Recent approaches to empirical derivation and validation of alcoholic subtypes which involve cluster analysis wihin a single multivariate assessment domain have been questioned. To investigate more clinically meaningful subtypes in a sample of 245 male alcoholics, cluster analysis was performed on a combination of variables from four assessment…

Alcoholism is an almost universal problem which varies in nature and extent from culture to culture. To discriminate between French and American students on the basis of measured attitudes toward alcohol, American college students (N=291) and French college students (N=308) completed attitude measures for alcohol derived from a 14 scale semantic…

The impact of sex-role conflict among females has been an issue of concern in both the sports arena and the field of alcoholism. This study explored the similarities in sex-role conflict between female athletes and alcoholic women. Subjects were 30 female inpatients of a chemical dependency treatment center; 30 undergraduate students; and 30…

This article describes a practical approach to treating addictive families, designed to help them repair the damage, create more satisfying lives, and prevent long-lasting deleterious effects, commonly associated with "co-dependency" and "children of addicts." This approach is grounded in a developmental model of family recovery which was devised…