Adult daughters of alcoholic fathers: Differentiation of self in family of origin and couple relationships

In this study, 51 adult daughters of alcoholic fathers (ADAs) and 50 adult daughters of nonalcoholic fathers (non-ADAs) were compared. The study also extended recent alcoholism research by examining the intergenerational transmission of relationship behaviors and the marital/couple relationship correlates of having an alcoholic father.; Participants were 101 females who were in a committed heterosexual relationship with their spouse/partner for at least one year and who had lived with their father for at least 10 years during childhood. Responding to the California Inventory for Family Assessment (CIFA), these daughters described how their fathers acted toward them in the past and how they (the daughters) act toward their current spouse/partner in the present. CIFA assesses interpersonal behaviors in three theoretical domains: closeness-caregiving, openness of communication, and intrusiveness. In this study, consistent with Bowen theory, higher levels of closeness-caregiving and openness of communication, and lower levels of intrusiveness, were interpreted as signs of greater differentiation of self. Participants also completed two measures of alcohol use (the Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test , and the Father-Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test ), and a Background Information Questionnaire.; Results showed that ADAs experienced less warmth, time together, nurturance, consistency, openness/self-disclosure, and more anger-aggression and conflict-avoidance from their fathers during childhood than did non-ADAs. This study also found a higher rate of alcoholism/drinking problems in the ADA group. ADAs also experienced higher rates of violence, financial crisis, and sexual abuse as compared to non-ADAs. Contrary to findings in previous research, alcoholic fathers were not significantly different from non-alcoholic fathers in past behaviors towards their daughter in terms of separation anxiety, possessiveness/jealousy, emotional inter-reactivity, projective mystification, and authority/dominance.; In addition, results showed that ADAs and non-ADAs did not differ significantly in their behaviors toward their spouse/partner. However, correlational findings indicated moderately significant associations between differentiation of one's father (in terms of father's behavior toward daughter during childhood) and differentiation of self (in terms of daughter's behavior toward her partner/spouse currently). The latter finding is consistent with Bowenian and other intergenerational family theorists' claims that some relationship behaviors are transmitted across generations.