This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
Published on July 29, 2019, a study in the US has revealed that children who grow up with alcoholic parents are at a higher risk of having abusive or violent relationships as teenagers.
Researchers found that experiencing these conditions early in life, particularly during the critical preschool years and middle childhood, can have a lasting negative impact.
The study, which focused on adolescents with fathers who had a drinking disorder, also found that homes with alcoholics tend to have more marital conflict.
Mothers whose partners struggled with alcohol use disorders were more likely to be depressed, leading to less affection shown to their children.
These conditions can interfere with a child's ability to regulate their emotions and behavior, increasing the risk of aggressive behavior and involvement in dating violence.
'Although teen dating violence is typically viewed as a problem related specifically to adolescent development, our findings indicate that the risk for aggressive behaviour and involvement in dating violence are related to stressors experienced much earlier in life,' said Dr Jennifer Livingston, lead study author.
