PhD, Psychology, Saint Louis University, 2015
Keene State College
McNair Scholar, 2005
Major: Clinical Psychology
Mentor: Dr. Carolyn Mebert, Department of Pschology
Research Topic: Adult Children of Alcoholics: Predictors of Mastery Success, Attachment Success, and Self-Regulation Success
Adult Children of Alcoholics: Predictors of Mastery Success, Attachment Success, and Self-Regulation Success
Approximately one out of every eight Americans is a child of an alcoholic (Hall & Webster, 2002). Consequences of parental alcoholism include irregular attachment patterns (Beesley & Stoltenberg, 2002) and difficulty regulating stress levels, as well as other general impairments (Hall & Webster, 2002). While the existing research suggests a variety of largely negative outcomes of parental alcoholism, the literature is plagued with inconsistencies. It appears that not all Children of Alcoholics (COAs) experience negative outcomes. The goal of this proposed research is to examine, within Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOAs), a positive characteristic—hope—and to explore the extent to which hope is related to mastery success, attachment success and self-regulation success. Future time perspective will also be considered as a predictor given its position as a defining characteristic of hope. This research thus falls within the conceptual framework of positive psychology and could suggest valuable treatment options.
