Abstract
Children of alcoholics are prone to genetic, environmental, and teratogenic risk factors. This review starts by outlining the developmental risks due to intrauterine exposure to alcohol. Furthermore, the overall findings from genetic research are summarized. A further section deals with the analysis of the environment of the family with an alcoholic parent. Within the section on psychopathology the special links to conduct disorders and delinquency, hyperkinetic disorders, substance abuse, anxiety and depression, and somatic problems are described. Special consideration is also given to the literature dealing with cognitive and neuropsychological functioning in the offspring of alcoholic parents. Finally, the limitations of current knowledge are emphasized.
Résumé
Les enfants d'alcooliques sont exposés à des facteurs de risque génétiques, environnementaux et tératogènes. Cette revue commence par résumer les risques développementaux dues à l'exposition intra-utérine à l'alcool. Ensuite les résultats des recherches génétiques sont résumés. Un autre chapitre traite l'analyse de l'environnement de la famille avec un parent alcoolique. Dans le chapitre psychopathologie, les liens spéciaux avec les troubles des conduites et la délinquence, les troubles hyperkinétiques, la toxicomanie, l'anxiété et la dépression et les troubles somatiques sont décrits. La littérature traitant du fonctionnement cognitif et neuropsychologique des enfants de parent alcooliques fait l'objet d'une attention particulière. Enfin, on insiste sur les limites des connaissances actuelles.
Zusammenfassung
Kinder von alkoholkranken Eltern sind genetischen, umweltbezogenen und teratologischen Risikofaktoren ausgesetzt. Diese Übersichtsarbeit beginnt mit einer Darstellung der Entwicklungsriskiken urch die intrauterine Alkoholexposition. Ferner werden die Übersichtsbefunde der genetischen Forschung zusammengefaßt. Ein weiterer Abschnitt beschäftigt sich mit der Analyse der familiären Umwelt mit einem alkoholkranken Elternteil. In dem Abschnitt zur Psychopathologie werden die speziellen Verbindungen zu dissozialen Störungen und Delinquenz, hyperkinetischen Störungen, Drogenmißbrauch, Angst und Depression sowie somatischen Symptomen beschrieben. Besonders berücksichtigt wird auch die Literatur, die sich mit kognitiven und neuropsychologischen Funktionen bei den Kindern alkoholkranker Eltern beschäftigt. Schließlich werden die Grenzen des gegenwärtigen Wissens betont.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abel, E. L. & Sokol, R. J. (1987). Incidence of the fetal alcohol syndrome and economic impact of FAS-related anomalies.Drug and Alcohol Dependency, 19, 51–70.
Aronson, M., Kyllerman, M., Sabel, K. G., Sandin, B. & Olegard, R. (1985). Children of alcoholic mothers. Developmental, perceptual and behavioural characteristics in children of alcoholic mothers compared to matched controls.Acta Paediatrica Scandinavica, 74, 27–33.
Biek, J. (1981). Screening test for identifying adolescents adversely affected by a parental drinking problem.Journal of Adolescent Health Care, 2, 107–113.
Bohman, M., Sigvardsson, S. & Cloninger, C. R. (1981). Maternal inheritance of alcohol abuse. Cross-fostering analysis of adopted women.Archives of General Psychiatry, 38, 965–969.
Bohman, M., Cloninger, R., Sigvardsson, S. & von Knorring, A.-L. (1987). The genetics of alcoholism and related disorders.Journal of Psychiatric Research, 21, 447–452.
Brooks-Gunn, J., McCarton, C. & Hawley, T. (1994). Effects of in utero drug exposure on children's development — Review and recommendations.Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 148, 33–60.
Cantwell, D. P. (1976). Genetic factors in the hyperkinetic syndrome.Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 15, 214–223.
Clarren, S. K. & Smith, D. W. (1978). The fetal alcohol syndrome.New England Journal of Medicine, 298, 1036–1037.
Cloninger, C. R., Bohman, M. & Sigvardsson, S. (1981). Inheritance of alcohol abuse-cross-fostering analysis of adopted men.Archives of General Psychiatry, 38, 861–868.
Earls, F. (1987). On the familial transmission of child psychiatric disorder.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 28, 791–802.
Earls, F., Reich, W., Yound, K. G. & Cloninger, C. R. (1988). Psychopathology in children of alcoholic and antisocial parents.Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 12, 481–487.
Euromac Project Group. (1992). EUROMAC: Maternal alcohol consumption and its relation to the outcome of pregnancy and development at 18 months. C. d. V. Florey, F. Bolumar, M. Kaminski and J. Olsen (Eds.)International Journal of Epidemiology, 21, Suppl. 1.
Forrest, F., Florey, C. d. V. & Taylor, D. (1992). Maternal alcohol consumption and child development. In C. d. V. Florey, F. Bolumar, M. Kaminski and J. Olsen (Eds.)International Journal of Epidemiology, 21, Suppl. 1 (pp. 17–23).
Fried, P. A., O'Connell, C. M. & Watkinson, B. (1992). 60- and 70-month follow-up of children prenatally exposed to marijuana, cigarettes, and alcohol: Cognitive and language assessment.Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 13, 383–391.
Goodwin, D. W., Schulsinger, F., Møller, N., Hermansen, L., Winokur, G. & Guze, S. B. (1974). Psychopathology in adopted and nonadopted sons of alcoholics.Archives of General Psychiatry, 31, 164–169.
Goodwin, D. W., Schulsinger, F., Knop, J., Mednick, S. & Guze, S. B. (1977). Psychopathology in adopted and nonadopted daughters of alcoholics.Archives of General Psychiatry, 34, 1005–1009.
Hagberg, B., Hagberg, G., Lewerth, A. & Lindberg, U. (1981). Mild mental retardation in Swedish school children.Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 70, 445–452.
Jacob, T. & Seilhamer, R. A. (1987). Alcoholism and family interaction. In T. Jacob (Ed.)Family Interaction and Psychopathology: Theories, Methods and Findings (pp. 535–580). New York: Plenum.
Johnson, J. L. & Rolf, J. E. (1988). Cognitive functioning in children from alcoholic and non-alcoholic families.British Journal of Addiction, 83, 849.
Johnson, S., Leonard, K. E. & Jacob, T. (1989). Drinking, drinking styles, and drug use in children of alcoholics, depressives, and controls.Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 50, 427–431.
Jones, K. L. & Smith, D. W. (1973). Recognition of the fetal alcohol syndrome in early infancy.Lancet, 2, 999–1001.
Knop, J., Teasdale, T. W., Schulsinger, F. & Goodwin, D. W. (1985). A prospective study of young men at high risk for alcoholism: School behavior and achievement.Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 46, 273–278.
Majewski, F. & Majewski, B. (1988). Alcohol embryopathy: Symptoms, auxiological data, frequency among the offspring and pathogenesis.Excerpta Medica, International Conference Series, 805, 837–844.
Merikangas, K. R. (1990). The genetic epidemiology of alcoholism.Psychological Medicine, 20, 11–22.
Merikangas, K. R., Weissman, M. M., Prusoff, B. A., Pauls, D. L. & Leckman, J. F. (1985). Depressives with secondary alcoholism-psychiatric disorders in offspring.Journal of Studies of Alcohol, 46, 199–204.
Moos, R. H. & Billings, A. G. (1982). Children of alcoholics during the recovery process: Alcoholic and matched control families.Addictive Behaviors, 7, 155–163.
Naeye, R. L. (1992). Commentary. Cognitive and behavioral abnormalities in children whose mothers smoked cigarettes during pregnancy.Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 13, 425–428.
Neuspiel, D. R. & Hamel, S. C. (1991). Cocaine and infant behavior.Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 12, 55–64.
Nordberg, L., Rydelius, P. A. & Zetterstöm, R. (1993). Children of alcoholic parents: Health, growth, mental development and psychopathology until school age.Acta Pediatrica, 82, Suppl. 387, 1–25.
Olds, D. L., Henderson, C. R. & Tatelbaum, R. (1994). Intellectual impairment in children of women who smoke cigarettes during pregnancy.Pediatrics, 93, 221–227.
Reich, W., Earls, F., Frankel, O. & Shayka, J. J. (1993). Psychopathology in children of alcoholics.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32, 995–1002.
Roberts, K. & Brent, E. (1982). Physician utilization and illness patterns in families of alcoholics.Journal of Studies of Alcohol, 43, 119–128.
Rosett, H. L. (1980). A clinical perspective of the fetal alcohol syndrome.Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 4, 119–122.
Rydelius, P.-A. (1981). Children of alcoholic fathers. Their social adjustment and their mental status over 20 years.Acta Paediatrica Scandinavica, Suppl. 286, 1–89.
Rydelius, P.-A. (1983). Alcohol-abusing teenage boys-testing a hypothesis on the relationship between alcohol abuse and social background factors, criminality and personality in teenage boys.Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 68, 368–380.
Searles, J. S. (1988). The role of genetics in the pathogenesis of alcoholism.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 97, 153–167.
Sher, K. (1991).Children of Alcoholics. Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press.
Sher, K. J. (1992). Psychological characteristics of children of alcoholics-Overview of research methods and findings. In M. Gallanter (Ed.)Recent Developments in Alcoholism (pp. 301–326). New York: Plenum Publishing Corporation.
Spohr, H.-L. & Steinhausen, H.-C. (1987). Follow-up studies of children with fetal alcohol syndrome.Neuropediatrics, 18, 13–17.
Spohr, H.-L., Willms, J. & Steinhausen, H.-C. (1993). Prenatal alcohol exposure and long-term developmental consequences.The Lancet, 341, 907–910.
Steinhausen, H.-C. & Spohr, H.-L. (1986). Fetal alcohol syndrome. In B. B. Lahey and A. E. Kazdin (Eds.)Advances in Clinical Child Psychology (pp. 217–243). New York: Plenum Press.
Steinhausen, H.-C., Göbel, D., Nestler, V. & Huth, H. (1982 a). Psychopathology and mental functions in the offspring of alcoholic and epileptic mothers.Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 21, 268–273.
Steinhausen, H.-C., Nestler, V. & Spohr, H.-L. (1982 b). Development and psychopathology of children with fetal alcohol syndrome.Journal of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, 3, 49–54.
Steinhausen, H.-C., Göbel, D. & Nestler, V. (1984). Psychopathology in the offspring of alcoholic parents.Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 23, 465–471.
Steinhausen, H.-C., Willms, J. & Spohr, H.-L. (1993). Long-term psychopathological and cognitive outcome of children with fetal alcohol syndrome.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32, 990–994.
Steinhausen, H.-C., Willms, J. & Spohr, H.-L. (1994). Correlates of psychopathology and cognitive outcome of children with fetal alcohol syndrome.Journal Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 325–331.
Streissguth, A. P. (1992). Fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effects. In I. S. Zagon & T. A. Slotkin (Eds.)Matemal Substance Abuse and the Developing Nervous System (pp. 5–24). San Diego, California: Academic Press, Inc.
Streissguth, A. P., Aase, J. M., Clarren, S. K., Randels, S. P., La Due, R. A. & Smith, D. F. (1991). Fetal alcohol syndrome in adolescents and adults.Journal of the American Medical Association, 265, 1961–1967.
Streissguth, A. P., Sampson, P. D., Olson, H. C., Bookstein, F. L., Barr, H. M., Scott, M., Feldman, J. & Mirsky, A. F. (1994). Maternal drinking during pregnancy: Attention and short-term memory in 14-year-old offspring: A longitudinal prospective study.Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 18, 202–218.
Tarter, R. E., Hegedus, A. M., Goldstein, G. & Shelly, C. (1984). Adolescent sons of alcoholics: Neuropsychological and personality characteristics.Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 8, 216–222.
Tong, S. & McMichael, A. J. (1992). Maternal smoking and neuropsycological development in childhood: A review of the evidence.Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 34, 191–197.
von Knorring, A.-L. (1991). Annotation: Children of alcoholics.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 32, 411–421.
Werner, E. E. (1986). Resilient offspring of alcoholics-A longitudinal study from birth to age 18.Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 47, 34–40.
West, M. O. & Prinz, R. J. (1987). Parental alcoholism and childhood psychopathology.Psychological Bulletin, 102, 204–218.
Zuckerman, B. & Bresnahan, K. (1992). Developmental and behavioural consequences of prenatal drug and alcohol exposure.Pediatric Clinics of North America, 38, 1387–1406.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Steinhausen, H.C. Children of alcoholic parents. A review. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 4, 143–152 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01980453
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01980453