title: Personal and parental problem drinking: effects on problem-solving performance and self-appraisal.
abstract: This study examined the problem-solving performances and self-appraisals of problem-solving ability of college-age subjects with and without parental history of problem drinking. Contrary to our predictions, children of problem drinkers (COPDs) were rated as somewhat more effective in their problem-solving skills than non-COPDs, undermining prevailing assumptions about offspring from alcoholic households. While this difference was not large and was qualified by other variables, subjects' own alcohol abuse did exert a detrimental effect on problem-solving performance, regardless of parental history of problem drinking. However, a different pattern was evident for problem-solving self-appraisals. Alcohol-abusing non-COPDs saw themselves as effective problem-solvers while alcohol-abusing COPDs appraised themselves as poor problem-solvers. In addition, the self-appraisals of alcohol-abusing COPDs were consistent with objective ratings of solution effectiveness (i.e., they were both negative) while alcohol-abusing non-COPDs were overly positive in their appraisals, opposing the judgments of trained raters. This finding suggests that the relationship between personal alcohol abuse and self-appraised problem-solving abilities may differ as a function of parental history of problem drinking. Limitations on the generalizability of findings are addressed.
authors.affiliation: University at Albany, NY 12222.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Slavkin
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Heimberg
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Winning
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: McCaffrey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology*; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010553:Personality Development; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011340:Problem Solving; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D012931:Social Environment