The Influence of Family Factors on the Executive Functioning of Adult Children of Alcoholics in College*

• Author: Valarie M. Schroeder,Michelle L. Kelley
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2008.00509.x
• Published date: 01 July 2008
• Date: 01 July 2008

The Influence of Family Factors on the Executive

Functioning of Adult Children of Alcoholics in College*

Valarie M. Schroeder Michelle L. Kelley**

Abstract: This study examined executive functioning in college aged adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs; n¼84)

and non-ACOAs (188). We examined whether characteristics of the family environment and family responsibility

in one’s family of origin were associated with executive functioning above the contribution of ACOA status. ACOAs

reported more difficulty regulating behavior related to executive functioning but comparable metacognitive abilities

to non-ACOAs. Family environment contributed to behavioral and metacognitive regulation above the contribution

of group (ACOA/non-ACOA). These findings suggest that ACOAs may be at greater risk for experiencing difficulty

in higher order processes related to behavioral regulation. For both ACOA and non-ACOA college students, one’s

family of origin environment appears related to higher order processes, suggesting the need for interventions aimed

at improving executive functioning for vulnerable students.

Key Words: adult children of alcoholics, executive functioning, family environment, parent-child relationships, paren-

tification, self-control.

On the basis of the results of the National Survey on

Drug Use and Health (2004), it is estimated that 14

million adults meet Diagnostic and Statistical Man-

ual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria for alco-

hol abuse or dependence. Furthermore, Grant

(2000) contended that nearly one in four children

under the age of 18 lives with a family member who

abuses alcohol. Because of the prevalence of alcohol-

ism in the United States, considerable research has

attempted to examine the impact of family alcohol-

ism on adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs).

As compared to non-ACOAs, ACOAs are at

higher risk for alcohol or drug abuse, aggressive

behavior, psychiatric disorders, academic under-

achievement, and personality disorders (Chassin,

Pitts, DeLucia, & Todd, 1999; Hall & Webster,

2002; Harter, 2000; Loukas, Krull, Chassin, &

Carle, 2000). However, differences between ACOAs

and their peers from nonalcohol abusing homes

suggest that family environment, rather than alcohol

abuse per se, may contribute to the greater likelihood

of negative outcomes (Anda et al., 2002; Bijttebier

& Goethals, 2006; Scharff, Broida, Conway, & Yue,

2004).

Although an extensive body of literature has

documented the negative emotional and behavioral

outcomes associated with growing up with an alcohol-

abusing parent, much less research has examined

how parental alcoholism may be related to the set of

higher order processes used to control one’s behav-

ior, thought, and emotion. These skills, collectively

known as executive functions, are critical for occupa-

tional, academic, and interpersonal success. Whether

living with an alcohol-abusing parent is associated

with disruptions or deficits in executive functioning,

however, is not known. The aim of the present study

was to understand relationships between parental

alcohol abuse and the family roles and family envi-

ronment as related to the executive functioning of

ACOAs as compared to non-ACOAs.

*We would like to thank Dr. Robert M. Roth and Dr. Peter K. Isquith, Dartmouth Medical School and Dr. Gerard A. Gioia, George Washington University School

of Medicine for their assistance in the initial stages of the study.

**Valarie M. Schroeder is a research associate in the Department of Community Health, Lifespan Health Research Center, Wright State University, 3171 Research

Boulevard, Kettering, OH 45420 (valarie.schroeder@wright.edu). Michelle L. Kelley is a professor of the Department of Psychology at the Old Dominion University,

College of Sciences, Norfolk, VA 23529-0267 (mkelley@odu.edu).

Family Relations, 57 (July 2008), 404–414. Blackwell Publishing.

Copyright 2008 by the National Council on Family Relations.