Are children of alcoholic mothers more psychologically damaged compared with children of mothers from the general population?

Abstract

Matched pairs of 40 women from the general population and 40 female alcoholic inpatients living in Stockholm were examined and found to fulfil the alcoholism criteria of DSM‐III‐R. They comprised 40 inpatient women consecutively admitted to an Alcohol Clinic and staying at least one week for treatment. The examination included a general medical examination, a psychiatric and social history, blood tests, ECG, computed tomography of the brain and neuropsychological testing. The aim of the study was to determine if children of alcoholic mothers were more psychologically damaged compared with children of mothers from the general population. The subjects’ and their families’ possibilities of creating a good upbringing environment and their own childhood were studied. The female alcoholics and the women from the general population and their offspring were followed from the registers of the child welfare committees, temperance boards, social service departments, the Social Insurance Office and the Medical Information System of the Medical Services Board of Stockholm County Council. The children of the female alcoholics had, during their childhood, more often had contact with an educational welfare officer, a psychologist or a physician for various problems and also had a significantly higher rate of registration in the childrens welfare committee registers than children of women from the general population. Fourteen per cent of the boys and 6% of the girls in the group from the general population and 35% of the sons and 20% of the daughters of the female alcoholics were registered by the Temperance Board. Eighteen per cent of the boys and 0% of the girls from the general population and 40% of the sons and 25% of the daughters of the female alcoholics were registered in the Criminal Offenders Register. No girl in the group from the general population was registered in the Criminal Offenders Register. Of the girls with an alcoholic home background, 25% were registered and all these had been sentenced to fines. Eight per cent of the children from the general population and 40% of the sons and 25% of the daughters of the female alcoholic inpatients had had hospital treatment on at least one occasion for underlying physical illness or injury. Eight per cent of the children in the general population and 40% of the sons and 25% of the daughters of alcoholic women were registered at children's psychiatric wards and outpatient clinics and counselling clinics. None of the children of the women of the general population, but 30% of the sons and 20% of the daughters of the female alcoholics abused alcohol or drugs. It was concluded that children of female alcoholics have a more psychologically disturbed childhood than children of women from the general population.