million individuals, or approximately
In: L. L'Abate (Ed.) Handbook of develo mental famil p~ycholbgy and ps1chopatholo~Y4 -~NewYork: Wiley 1994) UM-MSU
#037
CHAPTER
17
DevelojJI11ental Syste111S TheolY
and Substance Abuse A Conceptual and Methodological framework for Analyzing Pallerns of Variation in Families IIiRAM E. FITZGERALD,
W. HOBART DAVIES, IU)/JEHT A. ZUCKER,
and MICHAEL KLINGER
In this chapter we focus our discussion on developmental system approaches to the study of substance abuse. Although alcohol abuse/dependence is used as the prototype of substance abuse, other types of substance abuse are referred to throughout the chapter. Our use of alcoholism as prototypical should not he interpreted as indicating that we believe that the dynamics of etiology are the same for all forms of substance abuse. We do not. Nevertheless, there are a substantial number of common themes (Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992), and it is within the context of these themes that we use alcoholism as prototypical of substance abuse. Alcoholism, and the lesser problem of alcohol abuse, are the most common forms of substance abuse in contemporary American society, involving over 16 million individuals, or approximately res\ed 111\)Ihn.\ to high levels of marital conflict. The level of spousal \'ioknce is high in alcoholic families (Gayford, 1975), particularly in instanccs where Ihe hu\hand" have a history of antisocial behavior and a severe drinking pmhkm. Higher rates of physical abuse have also been found among alcoholic parcnh (Liller Ctlll., 19X4),Although a direct causal link betweenlevcl of akuhol if1\ uhcmcllt andchild ahuse has nul yet heen established, there is some indicatiunthallalhers of abused hoys have higher rates of alcoholism,
Richman,Stevenson,and Graham (I lJ82) report that continucd family slress is directly related to the maintenance of behavior problems ill childrell, Thn", in high-risk families it is possible that maternal lifetime alcohol problcms and depression mediate the effects of paternal antisocial heha\';or 011 l'hildlCII"',
364
Intrufalllilial Relationships, I'amily Structure, and Adjunclin' Systems
Uevelopmental Splt'ms Theory and Substance Ahuse
adaptive functioning. Yang, Fitzgerald, and Zucker ( 1992) designed a study that predicted that the level of psychosocial functioning of alcoholics and their spouses is negatively rclatedto the degree of disrupted family functioning and the level of their offspring's adaptive functioning, Path models were constructed to explain causal relations among such parental variables as lifetime alcohol problems, antisocial behavior, ego functioning, social support, stress, Cltn'ent depression, and children's variables, including temperament and behavior problems. Figure 17AA shows the path model involving alcoholic fathers' variables predicting spousalratings of children's behavior problems.Figure 17.413 shows the path model for alcoholics' wives' variables predicting their own ratings of their children's behavior problems. The results of the path analyses and hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that parents' current depression significantly predicte~ their children's behavior problems, Parents' ego functioning, maternal social support, and stress mediated parental psychopathology, including lifetime alcohol problems, antisocial behavior, and current depression. An alcoholic family environment in which parents reported more alcohol-related problems, antisocial behavior, and depression was associated with elevated risk, especially risk for behavior problems in 3- to 5-year-old sons. Parents' lifetime alcohol problems and antisocial behavior were positively linked to increased level of stress and to lowered levels of ego resi !iency. Within the confines of
-~--
-
:.~~
Mother's Stress
~---.
Mother's ASB
~ Mother's Ego Resilience
.~..
/
1
.17c
----
Figure 17.411. Path Model: Alcoholic Wives' Variables Predicting Their
.37"
.32"
~-.31" ",
h
"'-,,",
~
.1~~..."-..\
s
Father' Ego Resilien
~
-.17'
\"" -3B
"'.
,76"
,70"
Father's Stress ~
Father's LAPS
t'i~ure 17.4:\.
Palh f\lodd
.26c
Alcoholic Fathers' Variahks Pll',licling Spollsall{alings
'"
b
=P
