Abstract

ACOSTA BARRETO, María Rocío; JUAREZ ACOSTA, Fernando  and  CUARTAS ARIAS, Mauricio. Executive Functions and Parental History of Alcoholism in Adolescents. Pensam. psicol. [online]. 2018, vol.16, n.1, pp.57-68. ISSN 1657-8961.

Objective. The aim of this study was to compare executive functions and parental history of alcoholism among adolescents with and without a history of alcohol abuse. Method. This study was descriptive with four groups of participants: (a) 15 abusers with a family history of alcoholism, (b) 15 abusers without a family history of alcoholism, (c) 15 alcohol free participants with a family history of alcoholism, and (d) 15 participants who do not use alcohol and have no family history of alcohol abuse. The instruments used to evaluate the executive functions of participants were the Working Memory of WISC-IV, the Phonological fluency test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Stroop test, a go no-go task and the Hungry Donkey Task. Results. Results show lower scores in adolescents with a personal and family history of alcohol abuse, with statistically significant differences (p < 0.005) in working memory, verbal fluency, cognitive flexibility and decision-making. Conclusion. Executive functions and a family history of alcoholism are factors of vulnerability to alcohol abuse in adolescents.

Keywords : Alcoholism; family; executive functions; vulnerability.

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