FAMILIAL VIOLENCE, VICTIMIZATION AND ALCHOLISM

University Of Michigan At Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

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Abstract

This proposal aims to examine the causal structure accounting for the transmission of violence across generations as well as to test alternative models of causal structure. Three waves of data from a longitudinal family study of children of alcoholics (Risk and Coping in Children of Alcoholics: 2ROl AA07065) will be used where the target child was 3-5 years old at Wave 1 (n=291 families). Subsequent waves were collected at three year intervals (children ages 6-8 and 9-11).The families include children who are at high risk for developing alcohol use disorders, conduct problems and other psychopathology due to the antisocial and alcohol use behaviors by the parents. Retrospective data were also collected from the parents with regard to their childhood experiences with parental violence and alcoholism in the grandparental generation (i.e., the parents' parents). This two tier design allows us to assess the roles of alcoholism as well as spousal and child violence on the transmission of risk of violence between two generations, retrospectively from the grandparents to the parents and prospectively from the parents to the children. This will be done using latent growth modeling, hypotheses exploring cross-generational contributions in violence are to be tested. Familial alcoholism is predicted to moderate these relationships. The role of familial and interpersonal protective factors will also be evaluated.