A review of the effects of maternal alcoholism on children: Implications for child mental health

Children of alcoholics are a neglected population whose needs are not clearly apparent nor understood (Kern et al., 1981). In our society there are nearly thirty-six million family members of alcoholic persons (Kellennann, 1974) of which approximately twenty eight million are children of alcoholics (Deckman & Downs, 1982). Furthermore, there are an estimated seven million children under the age of twenty in the United States who are living with an alcoholic parent (Woodside, 1983). Yet, resources to meet the needs of these children are lacking (Hindman, 1975; Kellennann, 1974)