PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Brandon Byron Dillon
MA-Research
May 2001

Different Categorization Schema in Research on the Effect of Parental Alcoholism on Their Adult Children

    Past research has shown mixed results regarding the effect of parents’ alcoholism on their adolescent and adult children: Some research shows a significant negative effect, while other studies show little or no effect.  These contradictory findings are possibly due to variations in how the children were classified in terms of parental alcoholism.  The present study systematically varied classification systems to determine if this affected results.  The 30-item Children of Alcoholic Screening Test was used to categorize the participants’ parental alcoholism.  The participants were categorized using the three different cut-off points seen in previous research, with classification ranges that may be considered strict, moderate, or liberal.  Participants were also measured as to their own alcohol consumption.

    In contrast to predictions, results using the liberal classification schema did not differ significantly from results using other classification systems.  Implications of the results for future research are discussed.

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