RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CO-DEPENDENCY AND DRINKING PROBLEMS: A NEGATIVE RESULT

Abstract

The PURPOSE of this study was to determine the possible association between “Co-dependent” (defined as having a parent or grandparent who sometimes or often drank too much) and “Non-Co-dependent” students and the mean amount of alcohol consumed per week for possible alcohol awareness and intervention programs. A purpose was to examine the differences between these two groups and alcohol consumption patterns. METHODS: The data were collected using THE CODE Questionnaire that measures co-dependency status. The Student alcohol Questionnaire was used to measure self-reported alcohol consumption. For this cross-sectional study, a quota sample of 971 college students from all four regions of the United States was selected. The RESULTS revealed no association between those with high or low Co-dependency scores and the mean amount of alcohol consumed per week for the total sample (r=.007), or for men (r=.04) or women (r=.02). A t test and chi-square analysis found no significant difference between those with high or low Co-dependent scores in regards the mean amount of alcohol consumed or drinking patterns. The results showed remarkable similarity in alcohol consumption and drinking patterns between both groups of students. This is an interesting finding inasmuch as popular literature and alcoholism treatment personnel consider individuals who come from problem drinking families are more likely to have drinking problems. It was CONCLUDED that scoring high on the Co-dependency scale was not associated with either light or heavy alcohol consumption among this national sample of college students.