This multi-method study investigated differences in kinship social support, self-esteem, and coping responses between African American college students classified as non-adult children of alcoholics (non-ACOAs and adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs). In Phase I, one hundred fifty (N=150) undergraduate students, due to incomplete questionnaires or failure to follow directions, the final sample was (N=128). The majority of the participants were female, single, grew up in middle-class families, non-ACOAs, and reported incomes of less than $15,000 per year. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and four self-report measures. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a 10-item scale using a 4-point likert scale, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The scale has high reliability; test-retest correlations typically range .82 to .88, and Cronbach's alpha for various samples in the range of .77 to .88 (Rosenberg, 1965). The Coping Responses Inventory (CRI) adult scale is a brief self-report inventory that identities cognitive and behavioral responses the individual uses to cope with a recent problem or stressful situation. The CRI-adult scale measures two different coping styles, Approach and Avoidance Coping Style/s each coping style has four subscales. Internal consistencies of the CRI-adult scales are as follows: logical analysis .67; positive appraisal .74; seeking guidance and support .61; problem-solving .68; cognitive avoidance .72; acceptance and resignation .64; seeking alternative rewards .71; and emotional discharge .62 (Moos & Moos, 1992). The Kinship Social Support Scale (KSSS) assesses the individual's endorsement of statements examining the degree of social and emotional support offered by adult relatives (Taylor et al. 1993). The KSSS has a Cronbach's alpha of .72. Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST-6) measures one's perceptions, feelings, attitudes, and experiences related to parental drinking (Hodgkins et al, 1993). The CAST-6 has strong internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha ranging between .86 to .92. The CAST-6 was used to construct two comparison groups, those with scores of < 3 were considered ACOAs; based on the scores there were (N=100) non-ACOAs and (N=28) ACOAs. The findings indicate: ACOAs utilize more effective coping responses than non-ACOAs and there were no differences in levels of self-esteem and kinship social support. The qualitative portion examined personal constructs of ACOAs' resilience. In Phase II, the researcher developed a semi-structured interview guide containing 17 open-ended questions to interview self-identified African American adult children of alcoholics (N=10), ages 20-45. Participants' educational level ranged from completion of the Graduate Equivalency Degree to having a master's degree. Family socioeconomic status was fairly evenly distributed, with equal numbers of participants haven reported growing up in lower, lower-middle, middle and upper-middle class homes. Using grounded theory analyses of qualitative data, the researcher developed a “Theoretical Model of Kinship Social Support among African American ACOAs"; follow-up participant checks and inter-rater reliability were also used. The findings suggest ACOAs who had kin-fictive kin attachments are resilient, have healthy self-esteem, and demonstrated appropriated coping skills while living with an alcoholic parent.