Demographic Variables Predicting Psychological Distress among Children of Alcoholic Fathers in Kerala, India

This study investigates demographic variables that predict psychological distress among children of alcoholic fathers in Kerala, India. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), a standardized psychological instrument developed for assessing psychological distress, was used in a survey. It consists of ten items with five-point Likert scale responses. For the study, a total of 57 subjects were employed. The descriptive approach, linear regression analysis, and correlation were used to test the acquired data. Results showed that four of the eight demographic variables assessed independently for their ability to predict psychological distress in children of alcoholic fathers were gender (β=.335), occupation (β=.282), economic status (β= -.296), and the number of years of the father's alcoholism (β=.313). The four factors account for 60% of the variance in scores; R² =.607; F (9.285); p<.05. Additionally, the results demonstrate that although separately, demographic variables together predicted psychological distress (R²=.542, p<.05). These four demographic factors significantly predicted the psychological distress experienced by children of alcoholic fathers. Therefore, it is essential to design health policies that account for such issues. This will substantially reduce the psychological distress of children of alcoholic fathers' experience.