Intergenerational Effects—A Review of Environmentally Oriented Studies Concerning the Relationship between Parental Alcohol Problems and Family Disharmony in the Genesis of Alcohol and Other Problems. I: The Intergenerational Effects of Alcohol Problems

This paper is the second in a two-part series. In this paper the literature on the intergenerational transmission of family disharmony is reviewed from an environmental perspective. It is concluded that there is considerable evidence that children who grow up in a home which has a discordant atmosphere are at higher risk of developing a number of childhood problems and disorders than are comparison children. It is also clear that particularly likely outcomes for boys are antisocial behavior patterns and conduct disorder. The evidence also suggests that adults raised in a discordant atmosphere are still at high risk of developing a variety of problems once they reach adulthood. It is suggested that the negative effects of having a problem-drinking parent are mediated via family disharmony, and that in the absence of such disharmony the offspring will not be damaged. Suggestions are made for further research.