A number of researchers have studied children of alcoholics (COAs) and their counterparts, children of non-alcoholic parents (nonCOAs). These points summarize their findings:
COAs and non-COAs are most likely to differ in cognitive performance: scores on tests of abstract and conceptual reasoning and verbal skills were lower among children of alcoholic fathers than among children
of non-alcoholic fathers in one study (Ervin, Little, A research team (Johnson and Rolf) found that both COAs and mothers of COAs were found to underestimate the child’s abilities.
School records indicate that COAs are more likely to repeat grades, fail to graduate from high school, and require referral to the school psychologist than their non- COA classmates. (Miller and Jang; Knop and Teasdale) Researchers (West and Prinz) found that COAs exhibit behavior problems such as lying, stealing, fighting, truancy, and are often diagnosed as having conduct disorders.
Although it may be premature to suggest that a paradigm shift has occurred in the psychological community regarding alcohol dependence and abuse, many researchers do in fact believe that the disease model, requiring total, lifelong abstinence, no longer adequately addresses the wide variety of disorders related to excessive, harmful intake of alcohol.
Taken from : The Gale Encyclopedia Of Psychology 2ND Edition - Bonnie Strickland