Prevalence of externalizing features in children of alcohol dependent parents - A cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol is the most common psychoactive substance used by Indians. About 14.6% of the population (16 crores) use alcohol, among which 2.7% (2.9 crores) are dependent users. Children of ADS individuals are particularly at high risk for substance abuse as well as other externalizing features such as hyperactivity, aggression, defiance, conduct and emotional problems. AIM: To estimate the prevalence of externalizing features in children of alcohol dependent parents. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted on Alcohol dependent patients (As per DSM- V) attending Department of Psychiatry, KIMS, Hubballi. A semi structured proforma was used to obtain the sociodemographic details of the patients’ and their children. Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (KSADS) screener was applied on the children to assess for externalising features. RESULTS: A total of 72 children of 43 ADS patients were assessed. The mean age of children was 10.79±3.9 and majority of them were males (61.11%). Difficulty sustaining attention, losing temper, tobacco and alcohol use was found in 44.4% (32), 19.4% (14), 13.8 % (10) children respectively. Around 58.13% (25) of the ADS patients had a positive history for familial alcohol dependence. CONCLUSION: Alcohol use has an adverse impact not only on the individual consuming it but also on his family. Majority of the ADS patients reflect parental alcoholism. Central nervous system hyperexcitability may be etiologically linked to the excess of externalizing behaviors observed in their children. Hence there is a need for early identification and intervention of externalizing behaviors in children of ADS patients.