Personality and psychopathology in children of alcoholics
Artila Mukaj, Giuly Bertoli, Fiammetta Cosci
This study compares personality traits and psychopathology in children of alcoholics and in children of
non-alcoholics.
A naturalistic study was conducted. The sample was composed of 40 children of alcoholics matched
in gender and age with a control group of 40 children of non-alcoholics. Personality was evaluated
via the MMPI-A (version for adolescents). The presence of psychiatric disorders, according to the
diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV-TR, was assessed via: the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview
(MINI), the checklist for Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and the checklist for Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Compared to controls, children of alcoholics were more likely to develop anxiety disorders (according
to the MINI) and ADHD. With regard to personality, children of alcoholics were more likely to show
higher scores on the following MMPI-A scales: Hypochondria, Depression, Paranoia, Introversion,
Social Anxiety, Admission of Problems with Alcohol or Drugs, and Tendency to Abuse Alcohol or Drugs.
Results confirmed existing literature, suggesting that children of alcoholics are a population at risk
of developing psychiatric pathologies. They also presented personality characteristics related to
the dimension of neuroticism/negative emotionality, impulsivity/disinhibition, and extroversion/
sociability.
Keywords
Alcoholism, Children of alcoholics, COAs, Personality, Psychopathology
