Paternal Alcoholism, Paternal Absence and the Development of Problem Behaviors in Boys from Age Six to Twelve Years

• NCJ Number: 175652
• Journal: Journal of Studies on Alcohol Volume: 59 Issue: 4 Dated: July 1998 Pages: 387-398
• Author(s): R Carbonneau; R E Tremblay; F Vitaro; P L Dobkin; J Saucier; R O Pihl
• Date Published: 1998
• Length: 12 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examines the association between paternal alcoholism, paternal absence, and the development and stability of behavioral problems in boys from kindergarten to the end of elementary school.

Abstract

The study examined a sample of 642 boys from low- socioeconomic-status (SES) families. Paternal alcoholism was established using the Short Michigan Alcohol Screening Test. Behavioral problems (opposition, hyperactivity, inattention, physical aggression and anxiety) were assessed by teachers' reports when the boys were 6 and 12 years old. Four groups of boys were created on the basis of paternal alcoholism (nonalcoholic, alcoholic) and family structure (intact families, nonintact/father-absent families). A propensity for physical aggression and low anxiety best distinguished sons of male alcoholics (SOMAs) from non-SOMAs at both ages, even when SES was controlled. In addition, SOMAs were more oppositional and hyperactive at both ages. No significant effects were observed for family structure or age, or an interaction between these factors and paternal alcoholism in the multivariate analysis. Tables, references