LIKE FATHER LIKE SON - THE SITUATION OF C HILDREN IN FAMILIES WITH ALCOHOL-ABUSE

Data analysis of questions concerning the children of the ''Odenwald-S tudy'' exhibits for the self-perspective of family members an inverse relationship of behaviour towards responsibility between fathers and c hildren: the more pronounced the fathers responsibility position at an y given timepoint of measurement, the less pronounced will be the resp onsibility position of the resp. children. Compared to the non-clinica l control group, children of index-families prior to the onset of ther apy and at the timepoint of catamnesis, occupy a more pronounced respo nsiblity postition. Beyond that, children from alcohol-disease familie s appear to be involved to a larger extend with family relations as co mpared to children of the resp. control group. During the course of th erapy, significant changes are evident, that can be interpreted as sig ns of dissolvement out of these families. The involvement with family relations and the simultaneous high degree of responsibility of these children of index-families allows the assumption of a higher risk of a disturbed development of this group.