Clinical Psychologist, College of Romanian Psychologists, Romania
Received date: May 05, 2018; Accepted date: May 31, 2018; Published date: June 06, 2018
Citation: Palamariuc E (2018) The Probability of Developing Aggressive Behaviour Due to Alcohol Addiction. J Psychol Brain Stud. Vol.2 No.2:10
The research investigated the link between alcohol addiction in parents and the development of aggressive behaviour in their children. Participants who had a parent with alcohol addiction comprised the first group, while a control group consisted of participants without any such family history. All participants were evaluated for tendencies to aggressive behaviour. The objectives were to assess the level of aggression in children of an alcohol dependent parent, identify the child’s personality factors, as well as match the level of aggression with personality factors and other characteristics of the child's background. Two hypotheses were proposed [1-2]. The first is that the presence of an alcoholic parent in the family increases the risk of the child developing aggressive behaviour, while the second identified low frustration tolerance as the main determinant of aggressive behaviour in the child [3]. The study found that while the presence of an alcohol addicted parent certainly resulted in a greater likelihood of children developing anxiety, it was not the major factor determining aggressiveness. Aggressive tendencies had a greater association with more innate factors such as low frustration tolerance [4]. The results contradict the expected model that children learn aggressive behaviour from parents who exhibit such behaviour. Parental violence and addiction only tended to drive children away from the home. These children then had a tendency to embrace role models besides their parents, and these role models influenced whether the children would develop healthy or detrimental behaviours later in life [5].
Objectives of the research
In this research, the following objectives are identify
1. Assessing the level of aggression of a child of an alcoholic dependent parent.
2. Identify the child's personality factors
3. The characteristics of alcohol dependency in the family environment
4. Matching the level of aggression, personality factors and
The research hypothesis
1. The presence of an alcoholic parent in the family increases the risk of the child developing aggressive behavior.
2. Low tolerance to child frustration leads to aggressive behaviour.
Presentation of the working methodology
The Psychiatric Hospital of Chişinău was chosen and with the help of Dr. M, the head of this clinic, the necessary data was obtained to get in touch with patients who had an alcoholic addiction and who also had children [6-9]. the characteristics of the child's background.
The number of subjects was determinate by the number of patients registered in the Clinical Psychiatric Hospital, as well as their agreement that they and their children would collaborate to be subjects of this research.
Considering that the subjects had reached the age of 18 years, this being necessary due to the methods used for research.
This research attempts to highlight the influence of the family environment, in which one parent is dependent on alcohol, over the behaviour of the child over time. Essentially, is alcohol addiction a main determinant for the development of aggressive behaviour in children. The work is restricted in volume, but could later be expanded into more extensive research [10-13].
Children living in similar family environments (as proven in the case of brothers, where one parent is alcoholic) which may include stressful atmosphere, lack of understanding and emotional support, the parents inability to provide a positive parenting model and display lack of interest in providing education, along with supervision of the child's parent are shown not to be factors that lead to the development of aggressive behaviour in the children. The emotional harm to children is selective, with greatest impact on those who are most vulnerable to frustration
Based on the results, it was found that subjects with aggressive behaviour correspond to a low level of tolerance of frustration, while those with a low level of aggression correspond to a high level of tolerance of frustration. This confirms the second hypothesis that low frustration tolerance determines the aggressive behaviour of the child [14-16].
In the case of the subjects living in family settings as described above, with the addition of excessive parental severity, an anxious climate through the use of violence is created. The children in these homes showed a low level of aggression. This fact is in contrast to the already existing research, the hypothesis that aggression is a reaction learned through the model.
The educational influence of the family by example is minimal; however, example is the most appropriate means of education in the early years of childhood. From a certain age the child gains the ability to select a different education model based on his personality traits and on his ethical intellectual structure [17].
This hypothesis of the effects of example is also denied by American writer and psychologist Judith Rich Harris who claims that the purpose of a child is not to be a copy of his parents, but to be successful. The author also makes a suggestion which has received various criticisms, namely that parents exercise a minimal influence on the personality and character of children, while their friends have a huge influence.
Support for this hypothesis is drown from the identification of a common personality factor of the subjects that emerged from the application of the tests, namely sociability. It was also seen in the answers obtained from the interview. The answers indicated that the children spent most of their free time with friends and would usually call for their help when encountering difficulties or problems [18].
In the present study, the results obtained from research on children of alcoholic patients, indicated that in equivalent social and cultural environments, the children were more anxious, more disturbed and had attention deficit along with difficulty developing a solution or strategy in the face of a concrete problem [19].
Therefore, it can not be generalised that the family environment which contains an alcoholic parent leads to the development of aggressive behaviour in the child. This behaviour is much more dependent on the tolerance of frustration and the social environment to which the child relates in time. However, it can be concluded that such an environment presents a risk in developing this behaviour.