title: Children of alcoholic parents. A review.
abstract: Children of alcoholics are prone to genetic, environmental, and teratogenic risk factors. This review starts by outlining the development risks due to intrauterine exposure to alcohol. Furthermore, the overall findings from genetic research are summarized. A further section deals with the analysis of the environment of the family with an alcoholic parent. Within the section on psychopathology the special links to conduct disorders and delinquency, hyperkinetic disorders, substance abuse, anxiety and depression, and somatic problems are described. Special consideration is also given to the literature dealing with cognitive and neuropsychological functioning in the offspring of alcoholic parents. Finally, the limitations of current knowledge are emphasized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zürich.
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Steinhausen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010553:Personality Development; D011599:Psychopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment