Relationships Between Gender and Activity Involvement and the Incidence of Behavioral Disorders in Children of Alcoholics

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify relationships between behavioral disorders and gender of the child and gender of the alcoholic parent(s) and to investigate if positive involvement in activities outside the home decreases the number of behavioral disorders in children of alcoholics. This descriptive retrospective study used data collected from eighty-three questionnaires filled out by the parents. The data was analyzed with a two-way analysis of variance. No significance relationships were found regarding gender of the child and gender of the alcoholic parent(s). Children who were involved in outside activities had significantly fewer behavior disorders than those who were not (t = -2.99, df = 81, p = .004). Children who were involved in activities other than school had significantly more behavioral disorders compared to children involved in school activities or children involved in both (F = 9.938, df = 2, p = .000).