Purported characteristics of adult children of alcoholics: A possible "Barnum effect."

Abstract

Purported personality characteristics of adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) have gained wide currency despite the lack of empirical evidence of their validity. This popularity may be due in part to Barnum-like qualities (i.e., vague, double-headed, high base rates) of the suggested characteristics. Two hundred and twenty-four subjects (ACOAs and non-ACOAs) rated bogus personality profiles (Barnum or ACOA content) on how accurately they described Self, People in General, and Children of Alcoholics. Both ACOAs and non-ACOAs found all profiles, regardless of content, to be highly descriptive of Self, more so than of People in General or Children of Alcoholics. This suggests that the Barnum effect may be a plausible explanation for the widespread acceptance of personality descriptions of ACOAs; therefore, these descriptions lack the specificity required to serve diagnostic and treatment purposes. There is a large and growing body of popular and clinical literature concerning the effects of parental alcoholism on children and the characteristics those children possess. A recent bibliography (Ackerman, 1987) describes clinical and empirical writings, citing over 700 references to works about adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) written since 1960. A general consensus among the authors of popular books about ACOAs is that parental alcoholism or alcohol abuse creates a chaotic family environment that has lasting negative effects on children. These effects may include hyperactivity; eating disorders; affective and anxiety disorders; substance abuse; feelings of guilt, shame, insecurity, low self-esteem, and powerlessness; and difficulty dealing with emotions and intimate interpersonal relationships (Black, 1982; Cermak, 1988; Seixas & Youcha, 1985; Woititz, 1983,1985) and are said to be common characteristics of ACOAs. However, to date, these effects are not unequivocally supported by the empirical literature concerning ACOAs (Sher, 1991). Despite this lack of empirical support for the purported