Personality and psychopathology in children of alcoholics: a case-control study

Aims. The present study has compared personality traits and psychopathology in children of alcoholics and in children of non-alcoholics. Methods. A naturalistic study was conducted. The sample was composed by 40 children of alcoholics matched for sex 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). Results. 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 Trend of Abuse Alcohol or Drugs. Conclusions. Results confirmed the existing literature suggesting that children of alcoholics are a population at risk for developing psychiatric pathology. They also presented personality characteristics related to the dimension of neuroticism/negative emotionality, impulsivity/disinhibition, and extroversion/sociability.