Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries (January 11 - 14, 2007)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop a screening tool for identifying psychosocial characteristics in adult children of alcoholics (ACOA). It is known that children of alcoholics are at high-risk to develop various psychosocial problems due to their experience of parental alcohol abuse. However, previous research were focused on the alcoholic parent's behaviors and the degree to which children suffered as a result of their parent's alcoholism, and relatively little is known how these psychosocial problems are manifested in adulthood. This study proposes that it is important to identify potential risks and psychosocial needs of this population in a timely manner so that we would be able to prevent the various sequelae of alcohol abuse and its generational transmission. This study tries to find the common characteristics of ACOAs and to develop a screening tool that adequately captures those characteristics.

Methods: An item pool was generated targeting distinct characteristics discussed in the alcohol literature related to ACOA. The items were reviewed by a panel of experts and a total of 24 items were included in the final scale. The validity of the developed scale was examined using factor analysis, t-test and correlational analyses. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability was checked. The scale was tested with a sample(N=931) consisting of clinical and non-clinical subjects. The clinical sample (ACOAs) was drawn from alcoholic treatment centers where the clients were selected randomly using their patient logs. The general sample (non-ACOAs) constituted of a sample of parents who had children in elementary schools. A cluster sampling approach was used to select 7 school districts that represent a wide socioeconomic variety.

Results: Comparisons of the respondents who reported parental alcoholism to those with no parental alcoholism indicated that the ACOA traits scale successfully discriminates between general and clinical populations. Criterion validity check using SCL-90-R subscales demonstrated that ACOA traits scale was significantly correlated with somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, and anxiety. In addition, it was also correlated with the Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families scale and CAST. Reliability checks for internal consistency and test-retest stability suggested that the ACOA traits scale had adequate reliability.

Implications for practice: This study reports the development of a theory-based, empirically validated screening tool that successfully captures the ACOA traits. This measure is a useful and economic screening tool which can be used by practitioners working in various areas. Potential risks for psychosocial problems in this population can be identified and clients can be referred to community resources that are salient to them.