Parental Abusive Drinking and Sibling Role Differences

Abstract

This study examined how parental drinking and family dysfunction are associated with sibling family role differences. Twenty-nine sibling pairs of college freshmen and their younger siblings participated. Differences on family roles of hero and lost child were significantly related to parental drinking and family dysfunction. Differences in codependency were significantly related to family dysfunction. Implications for dealing with children's family roles in families undergoing addictions treatment were discussed.

Key Words:

• Family roles
• sibling differences
• parent drinking
• family dysfunction
• codependency