Current conceptions of adult children of alcoholics do not account for recent suggestions that characteristics used to describe them are not valid. These conceptions do not explain the documented heterogeneity with regard to life and therapeutic outcomes. In this paper, an alternative model of outcomes is formulated. This model is based on self-schema theory, behavioral self-regulation and self-efficacy, the influences of the “ecological environment,” and objective signs and subjective symptoms of dysfunction. It is argued that the model provides a better “fit” to the empirical data concerning outcomes and carries implications for assessment, treatment, and research.
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