Parental Alcohol Use Disorder and Offspring Internalizing Problems: Associations With Parenting, Autonomy, and Detachment from Parents

Adolescence and emerging adulthood are key periods for developing autonomy, healthy self-reliance that is distinct from emotional detachment from parents. Parenting that offers psychological support while encouraging self-reliance promotes optimal wellbeing, whereas more psychologically controlling or less supportive parenting undermines autonomy, increases detachment, and predicts later internalizing problems. Parents with alcohol use disorder (AUD) demonstrate more controlling, less supportive parenting, which may impede autonomy and increase risk for internalizing symptoms. In a longitudinal study of families oversampled for parent AUD (Ns = 366 mothers, 288 fathers), maternal AUD predicted more controlling parenting, which was associated with lower emerging-adult autonomy and greater adult internalizing. Greater detachment from mothers also predicted greater internalizing. Paternal AUD predicted more controlling parenting, and less supportive parenting from fathers predicted greater paternal detachment. Findings suggest that autonomy-supportive, emotionally connected parenting protects mental health and that disrupted autonomy represents a pathway of risk in AUD-affected families.