GROUP-THERAPY FOR CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS

Psycho-pedagogical group therapy with children of alcoholics was evaluated through semistructured interviews with the group therapists, covering family history, psychiatric symptoms in the children and their social networks, and the group therapy process. Altogether, 19 children (9 boys, 10 girls) between 5 and 20 years participated. All fathers, except for one step-father, were abusers, as were 50% of the mothers. Almost 75% of the children had been physically abused or witnessed violence in their homes. Fifteen had psychiatric symptoms, most commonly anxiety and depression (75%), whereas 33% were acting out. No child had received child psychiatric treatment for any length of time. Their social networks were small, and conflicts among network members were common. The group therapy sessions could be caracterized in three ways: 1) often the pedagogical work proceeded as planned; 2) sometimes sessions were disrupted, because the children feared to openly discuss the abuse of the parents; and 3) some children also had difficulties functioning in a group owing to relational problems. In addition to the planned pedagogical moments, the children also brought dynamic material into the group sessions. Nine children from six families dropped out of treatment. Working with the whole family, with focus on the parents' abuse, seemed to diminish the drop-out rate. Children of alcoholics need help exclusively directed to themselves, not only treatment for the family. The described psycho-pedagogical group therapy could be a part of such help.