A Study of the Relationships of Perception of Family Environment, Locus of Control, and Quality of Interpersonal Relationships to the Psychological Well-Being of Children of Alcoholics
Keane, Jeraldine Spillane
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/68851
Description
Title
A Study of the Relationships of Perception of Family Environment, Locus of Control, and Quality of Interpersonal Relationships to the Psychological Well-Being of Children of Alcoholics
Author(s)
Keane, Jeraldine Spillane
Issue Date
1983
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Educational Psychology
Abstract
The study was designed to investigate strengths or resources some children of alcoholics may possess which may impact on their psychological well-being. A review of literature and research on children of alcoholic parents points out the injurious consequences of alcoholism to some offspring. However, this review also identifies children who appear to be less vulnerable to the stresses of living with an alcoholic. Knowledge of the sources of strength and support of these less vulnerable children would contribute to an understanding of the derivatives of vulnerability. A model proposing that cognitions and perceptions, personality dispositions and social support serve as mediating factors between stress and psychological adjustment, guided the research. The relationships of three specific variables, Perception of Family Environment, Locus of Control and Quality of Interpersonal Relationships, to psychological adjustment were investigated.
The subjects were 40 children, aged 14-18, who had either one or two parents who were defined alcoholics. Instruments used were the California Test of Personality Personal Adjustment scales, the Family Concept Test, the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, and the Firo-B. A frequency distribution and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test were used to analyze the distribution of Personal Adjustment scores; simultaneous and hierarchical regression was used to analyze hypotheses concerning the relationships of the predictor variables and interaction terms to adjustment.
One of the hypotheses was confirmed. The distribution of Personal Adjustment scores was normally distributed, with some subject scoring at the high or adjusted extreme of the scale. A second hypothesis regarding the predictive power of the three predictor variables to the criterion was not confirmed. However, Perception of Family Environment and Locus of Control were found to be significant predictors of adjustment, together explaining 48% of the variance in Personal Adjustment. None of the interaction hypotheses were confirmed.
The results indicate that, within the sample there was a range of Personal Adjustment scores ranging from lower adjustment to relatively higher adjustment. Two of the predictors were significantly related to adjustment level. The findings suggest that there are variables which may serve as mediators between environmental stress and adjustment level.
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