Parental Alcoholism and Codependency: A Comparison of Female Children of Alcoholics and Nonalcoholics in Two College-Age Groups

Codependency among children of alcoholics (COAs) was investigated with a sample of 76 female undergraduates at a small, coeducational eastern US college, who were administered the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test & the Spann-Fischer Codependency Scale. It was found that freshman & sophomore COAs had significantly lower levels of codependency-related behaviors than did non-COAs, which is consistent with C. Black's (1981) theories about COA functioning after leaving the alcoholic home. Junior & senior COAs were no different in codependency-related behaviors than non-COAs, but had significantly higher codependency scores than did freshman & sophomore COAs. 1 Table, 27 References. Adapted from the source document.