Relations among parental alcoholism, eating disorders, and substance abuse in nonclinical college women: Additional evidence against the uniformity myth.

Abstract

In an effort to examine the uniformity myth as it pertains to adult children of alcoholics (ACAs), the relationship of presence of parental alcoholism to eating disorder symptomatology and substance use in a nonclinical, female college sample was examined. In addition, within-group differences among ACAs related to level of distress concerning parental alcohol use were examined. Parental alcoholism was not related to substance use and minimally related to eating disorder symptomatology. Level of distress differentiated among ACAs in terms of two eating disorder variables. The results add additional evidence to the notion that not all ACAs are alike and that not all suffer from psychological problems. Implications are discussed, and recommendations for future research are made