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Resumo

The popular press has disseminated widely the idea that adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) have relational deficiencies. This literature has been challenged due to its reliance on clinical samples; however, evidence of no difference between ACOAs and non-ACOAs has come from studies of college students. The National Survey of Families and Households is used to examine the effect of growing up in an alcoholic family on adult marital and cohabiting relationships. In support of the deficit model, results reveal that ACOAs are less likely to marry and have lower levels of marital quality and stability than non-ACOAs. Additional ACOA deficiencies that serve to mediate these relationships are also identified. However, while ACOAs commonly are profiled as women exhibiting excessive dependency, results reveal effects for men and women and evidence for relational patterns characterized by distance rather than overinvolvement. Research using more representative samples is needed to dispel misleading stereotypes.

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