Anger coping style in adult children of alcoholics

This study tested the hypothesis that adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) would cope with anger arousal by displaying a relatively more pronounced anger-in coping style than non-ACOA controls. The ACOA group consisted of 55 individuals who had sought treatment for ACOA-related issues, while the treatment control group consisted of 52 individuals who had sought treatment for non ACOA-related issues. The no treatment control group consisted of a non clinical sample of 53 employed adults. Anger-in coping style (anger suppression) was assessed using the Anger-In subscale Spielberger's (1988) State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory. Analyses that controlled for a number of potential confounds supported the hypothesis. These findings are consistent with the suggestion that childhood exposure to an alcoholic home environment many play a role in the genesis of a potentially pathogenic anger-in style of coping that endures into adulthood, and with the suggestion that ACOAs may benefit from therapeutic interventions designed to diminish the tendency to suppress anger. Future studies might explore whether anger-suppression contributes to the unusually high rates, among ACOAs, of sociobehavioural, psychological, and medical problems.