A Case Control study to assess the Psychological Problems in Children and Wives among Families with Alcohol Dependence Juvenile Diabetes and Normal Controls at Selected Settings Chennai

Abstract

Alcoholism is a family disease which affects not merely the alcoholic, but ruins the lives of countless families. Children raised in alcohol abusing families show high rates of behavioral and emotional problems. The wives of alcohol dependents are depressed as it causes emotional hardship to the family and may be associated with crime and violence which may lead to separations and divorces. With the right approach and support, positive steps should be taken to improve their quality of life. OBJECTIVES: To assess and compare the psychological problems among children of Alcohol dependents with children of Juvenile diabetics and Normal controls. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A comparative descriptive research design was adopted. The psychological problems among children and wives of Alcohol dependents, Juvenile diabetics and Normal controls (study groups) are considered as research variables. The research settings were The Institute of Neurological Sciences (TINS), VHS Multispeciality Hospital and Department of Diabetology, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai, 180 children and 180 wives (60 from each study group) were selected using non probability convenience sampling technique. RESULTS: The study findings revealed that children of alcohol dependent fathers (41.7%) showed 5-fold increase in the clinical range of syndrome scores on CBCL than children of juvenile diabetic fathers (8.3%). CONCLUSION: The findings of the study revealed that the majority of the children of alcohol dependent fathers had more psychological problems than children of juvenile diabetic and normal control fathers. The scores of internalizing behaviours were higher than externalizing behaviours and girls showed higher scores than boys. Interventions are necessary to prevent those becoming externalizing behaviours. Wives of alcohol dependents had more psychological distress, greater levels of depression and poorer quality of life when compared to wives of juvenile diabetics and normal controls. newline