Children of alcohol misusers and school performance outcomes

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Abstract

Studies show that children of alcoholics constitute an at-risk population. The present study attempted to understand the impact of parental alcohol misuse on the school performance of children, based on a sample of 838 teenagers from alcohol misusing parents in Minnesota. These teenagers had significantly poorer performance in all the six measurements of school performance used. The study also identified a few protective factors: those who did well in school perceived that their parents had high expectations of them, rated themselves as generally healthy and assessed themselves to be religious.

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    The study reported in this article was not based on a clinical sample. Hence the authors have deliberately avoided using the word alcoholics when referring to parents. However, terms alcohol misusers and alcohol abusers have been substituted and are used synonymously.

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