Intoxicating and Devastating the United States: The Influence of Alcoholism on Self-esteem
Open Access
Author:
Caine, Lauren A
Area of Honors:
Letters, Arts, and Sciences (Abington)
Degree:
Bachelor of Humanities
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Dr. Elizabeth Montemurro, Thesis Supervisor Michael Jason Bernstein, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
children of alcoholics daughters of alcoholics self-esteem alcoholism self-esteem and alcoholism
Abstract:
Alcoholism is a prevalent and growing problem within the United States. Past studies have researched different effects of alcoholism, such as on one’s family, career, and society overall. Another important concern is its association with self-esteem, specifically in women who were raised by someone who may be an alcoholic. A group of three hundred and twenty-one adult women, recruited online, were surveyed to determine whether growing up in a family with an alcoholic parent affected self-esteem. Firstly, it was hypothesized that daughters raised by an alcoholic would report lower self-esteem. Also, it was hypothesized that the current relationship between women and the alcoholic parent or guardian they were raised by would be strained. Findings suggest that daughters of an alcoholic did have lower self-esteem, and that the relationship that they had with the person who was an alcoholic was strained in comparison to women who were not raised by an alcoholic.
