Differences in perceived parental practices across attachment styles in adult children of alcoholic fathers

BACKGROUND: Alcoholism is a growing problem in Pakistan. Problems related to alcoholism affects the family members especially children of alcoholics who are likely to have biased perceptions of parental practices which in turn affects their attachment patterns. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the differences in perceptions of parental practices across three attachment styles namely avoidant, anxious/ambivalent, and secure attachments of the adults who are children of alcoholic parents. METHOD: The study is a correlational research design with a sample of 330 participants selected through purposive sampling technique. The participants were adults who are children of alcoholics from nuclear family systems, whose fathers were admitted in a rehabilitation center for the treatment of alcoholism for the second time. RESULTS: MANOVA computed to examine differences in perception of parental practices across attachment styles was significant [F(12, 632) = 53.130, p < .001, Pillai's Trace = 1.003, partial eta squared = .501], indicating that those with different attachment styles perceive parental overprotectiveness, emotional warmth, and rejection differently. CONCLUSION: Perceptions about parental practices for father can be linked with alcoholism, while for mother the perceptions about parental practices are a product of attachment mainly. IMPLICATIONS: The findings can be used to devise counseling and therapeutic plans for adults who are children of alcoholics and help in educating them about the condition of alcoholism.