Career Indecision in Adult Children of Alcoholics

✍ Scribed by Jessica Skorupa; Albert A. Agresti

• Publisher: American Counseling Association
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 728 KB
• Volume: 1
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1099-0399
• DOI: 10.1002/j.2161-1882.1998.tb00124.x

✦ Synopsis

This study investigated potential differences in career indecision for adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) and adult children of non‐alcoholics (non‐ACOAs) attending college. Using a sample of community college students, the relationships among irrational thinking, anxiety and career indecision were compared between ACOAs and non‐ACOAs. ACOAs received significantly higher scores than non‐ACOAs on state anxiety, p < .01, trait anxiety, p < .001. (as measured by the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory; Speilberger, Gorsuch, and Lushene, 1983.) Although both groups were similar in their overall levels of career indecision, there were significant relationships among irrational thinking, trait anxiety and career identity for ACOAs that were less present for non‐ACOAs. Results of this study suggest career indecision may be more chronic and problematic for ACOAs than for non‐ACOAs.