Attribution of Causality by Children with Alcoholic Parents

Abstract

Thirty children (ages 7–12), 15 from homes with parent(s) having a severe drinking problem and 15 from homes where no drinking problem existed, were given the children's Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Control Scale. Comparison of the groups indicated that children from severe problem-drinking homes had higher externality scores than children from homes where no drinking problem existed. These differences may be due to different socialization experiences of the children.