Academic literature on the topic 'Alcoholic parents' children'

Parental alcoholism is a major risk factor for their children's future alcohol abuse and dependence during adulthood. Thus, the purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to understand African-American adult female children's perceptions of self-worth, their lived experiences, and their quality of life as it relates to parental alcoholism. The research focus and questions were addressed by applying the conceptual framework of Bowen's family systems and Covington's self-worth theories. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 8 African-American adult female children of alcoholics. Subsequent data analysis and thematic coding were employed by using Colazzi's 7-step method to ensure rigor. The key findings from this study revealed that although over half of the women in this sample experienced some form of abuse and exposure to familial discord and even violence, their self-worth was strengthened by resilience and through forgiveness of their parents and siblings. This study's implications for positive social change include helping researchers and practitioners to better understand parental alcoholism and how it could shape the experiences of offspring, especially in the African-American female ethnic group. Future interventions could be shaped by these findings, and researchers may use these study results as a platform for future work in this literature domain.

115 undergraduate students were surveyed to see if attributional style would be different for individuals with alcoholic parents, depressed parents, or neither factor. Subjects were sorted into the three groups based on their responses to a family history questionnaire. Each subject filled out two attributional style questionnaires, the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ) and the Attributional Style Assessment Test (ASAT-II). The three groups did not differ on attributional style for interpersonal, noninter- personal, or general situations. Within the adult children of alcoholics group, subjects reported that their successes in interpersonal situations were due to their strategy and effort, rather than ability, more so than for noninterpersonal successes.

The purpose of the present archival study was to investigate the relationship between parental substance abuse and the risk for maladjustment and psychopathology in children in a clinic sample. Children of alcoholic parents and children of drug-dependent parents were compared to children of non-substance abusing parents. The subjects were 83 boys age 6 to 12. Children of substance abuse parents had lower levels of adaptive functioning and higher levels of school behavioral problems. Although previous studies have reported a strong association between an adverse family environment and the risk of child maladjustment, the present study did not find that the addition of an adverse family environment increased the risk for maladjustment or school behavioral problems in children of substance abusers.

A number of families suffering from alcoholic consequences constantly increase. More and more children suffer from the lack of their parents’ care, emotional repulse, compulsion and poverty. Though the childhood is so short the experience gained at that period of time, joy survived and bitterness suffered leaves the foremost marks and most frequently decide the future ways. The aim of the specialists of the social spheres is to help these children to prevail the basic difficulties, which menace their social course. The goal of this final post – graduate work is to disclose the features of social with the children dependent on their alcoholic parents.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka vuxna barns personliga erfarenheter av att ha vuxit upp med missbrukande föräldrar och deras syn på stöd och hjälp. Kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes med vuxna barn i åldrarna 25-35 år som vuxit upp med minst en förälder som missbrukat alkohol. Resultatet visar att missbrukets omfattning och karaktär beskrevs och uppfattades på lite olika sätt. Gemensamt var dock upplevelsen av att missbruket påverkade relationerna och samspelet negativt i familjerna. Familjelivet beskrevs som kaotiskt och oförutsägbart av flera intervjupersoner, bråk och konflikter förekom ofta. Alla hanterade sin situation genom att på olika sätt försöka anpassa sig efter föräldrarnas beteende och behov. Ett exempel på detta var att majoriteten av intervjupersonerna tog ett stort ansvar för hemmet och småsyskonen då föräldrarna var onyktra. Missbruket var heller ingenting som det pratades om, varken inom eller utanför familjen. Resultatet visar också att intervjupersonernas erfarenheter av stöd och hjälp såg förhållandevis olika ut. I några familjer hade socialtjänsten varit inkopplad, men det hjälpte inte för att lösa föräldrarnas problem. Ett par intervjupersoner har gått i stödgrupp för barn till missbrukande föräldrar, medan andra inte har fått något stöd alls, varken från den närmaste omgivningen eller från samhället. För några intervjupersoner utgjorde däremot det sociala nätverket ett viktigt stöd. Gemensamt för alla var att de uttryckte att de fått för lite stöd och hjälp under uppväxten. Lojaliteten gentemot föräldrarna var något som försvårade möjligheten att få hjälp, både från den närmaste omgivningen och från samhällets sida. Att barn som idag växer upp med missbrukande föräldrar behöver få mer stöd och hjälp från samhället var något som alla var överens om. Skolpersonal som dagligen träffar barnen lyftes fram som viktiga vuxna som kan göra skillnad för dessa barn.<br>The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to study the experiences of persons growing up with substance abusing parents. Qualitative interviews with adult children of alcoholic parents were conducted. Some informants in this study grew up with one alcohol abusing parent, while some grew up with two alcohol abusing parents. The results shows that the extent of addiction was different among parents, but common were that relationships and interactions in families were negatively infected by the substance abusing behaviour. Family life was characterized by chaos and unpredictability by many informants. A high level of conflicts was also common in the families. As children most of the informants took a lot of responsibility, especially for the care of younger siblings. The parental alcohol abuse was hidden from the community, and was almost never talked about, neither inside or outside of the family. All the informants expressed an absence of social support and help, from their networks as well as from society. Some of the families had contact with the social services, but none of the informants felt like they got enough help. Some of the informants got help from a support group for children with substance abusing parents, while others did not get any help at all. All informants felt loyalty to their family and parents and therefore avoided to reveal their parents alcohol abuse, which made it even more difficult for the community to help. The informants expressed that children growing up today with substance abusing parents need a lot more help from society. One way to reach out to these children is to educate teachers and other professionals in school in how to pay better attention to children of alcoholic parents.

Abstract: Prior research indicates a growing number of Children of Alcoholics (CoAs) in Sweden, and increased levels of externalizing behaviours in these individuals. According to international research, externalizing behaviours as criminality are more often displayed in CoAs than children with non-alcoholic parents. CoAs are also more often treated for panic attacks, depression and post-traumatic stress. The assumption is that high risk parents often have high risk children. With the aim to investigate the relationship between parental alcoholism and youth criminality in Sweden a systematic literature review has been conducted. Five databases were used to find relevant publications; Libsearch, Swesub, Eric via Ebsco, ProQuest and Google Scholar. A total of 530 texts were scanned and 17 studies eligible to inclusion were read and analysed according to PRISMA, a preferred reporting system of literature reviews. Inclusion criterions were; Sweden as geographical area, attention on children and young adults aged 13-25 years and a focus on parental drinking and youth criminality. The publications were also to be peer reviewed and published between 1998 and 2018. Results indicate a significant correlation between parental drinking and youth criminality in Sweden. CoAs display externalizing behaviours as aggression, conduct disorders, antisocial behaviour and criminality more often than children without alcoholic parents. It can be concluded that research on the field of CoAs is not the most researched in Sweden but in line with international findings and would benefit from further attention so we in the future can work with preventive measures based on solid knowledge.

Background: A wealth of quantitative literature exists exploring the impact of parental alcohol misuse on adult and child offspring. It is often proposed that children of alcoholics are at risk of experiencing a host of negative outcomes, many of which are said to persist into adulthood. Confusing and contradictory results have led researchers to identify a subset of offspring deemed to be resilient. Little remains known about the factors that influence who becomes negatively affected and who becomes resilient, or how these factors are experienced by individuals. The recent up rise of qualitative methodologies also suggest this divide is not clear, with offspring of alcoholics demonstrating a range of functioning. Aim: With this in mind, the current study aims to explore the lived experience of adult children of alcoholics to gather a richer understanding of how these individuals develop into the people they are today. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six individuals who grew up with at least one alcoholic parent. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse verbatim transcripts. Results: The analysis produced four master themes. These were: ‘Dealing with the loss of connection to parents’, ‘Feeling hopeless and helpless’, Struggling to stay sane’ and ‘I know who I want to be more than I know who I am’. The master themes and corresponding subordinate themes are discussed in relation to the relevant literature. Clinical implications, methodological considerations and directions for future research are also presented. Conclusions: This study provided insight into the lived experience of being an adult child of an alcoholic. It highlighted the challenges and struggles they faced in childhood and the ways in which they battled to overcome the difficulties they experienced to forge a preferred identity in adulthood. It also emphasised the importance of perceived parental rejection as the pathway to causing distress and the desire to be better than their parents as a pathway to resiliency.

Thesis (M Social Work)--Stellenbosch University, 2015.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Non-biological caregivers often take children into their care when their own biological caregivers have failed to provide them with a safe and loving home. These children are often also affected with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Learning of a child’s disability can be a big shock to non-biological caregivers especially if it is misunderstood, available professional help is scarce and intervention resources are not readily available. These non-biological caregivers are often not prepared for the financial, emotional and physical investment that is required to fully support the children and their development. This can cause various emotional reactions and implications that are challenging for the caregivers. It is critical to recognise parenting experiences and challenges as a means of developing and promoting intervention strategies and support that will respond to the needs of the children with FASD and their non-biological caregivers especially from a South African perspective. There is a need for social workers to take on responsibility for addressing FASD as they have the professional capacity to help families living with FASD to develop and maintain stable and nurturing households. One way in which this can be achieved is through the initiation and facilitation of support groups. The goal of the study was to gain an understanding on the experiences of non-biological caregivers of children with FASD and of the utilisation of support groups to help them cope better. The researcher made use of a combination of an exploratory and descriptive research design. By using both a quantitative and qualitative approach in a complimentary manner, the researcher was able to gain an in depth insight into the lives of the non-biological caregivers and how they experience this disability and support groups that are utilised as a means of helping them cope. Permission to conduct the study was granted by the committee for Human Research at the University of Stellenbosch. The literature study firstly investigated the implication of FASD on affected children. Secondly, the extents to which non-biological caregivers are affected by the consequences of this disability were discussed. After this the utilisation of support groups as a method of supporting non-biological caregivers, with the emphasis on a mutual-aid and educational approach as theoretical underpinning was described. The empirical study was completed with 16 participants through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. An interview schedule based on the findings of the literature study was utilised. The criteria for inclusion were that participants had to have attended at least 5 support group sessions and had to be a non-biological caregiver of FASD children who had attended the support groups specifically related to this disorder. The results of this study mostly confirmed the findings from the literature study which showed that support groups play a vital role in providing necessary support to non-biological caregivers who are often unprepared for the realities of caring for a FASD child. Recommendations are aimed at the social work profession in South Africa who need to align itself in providing necessary support to non-biological caregivers through the use of support groups and various other methods of service rendering. Suggestions for future research are also made in line with how non-biological caregivers can be supported in their unique caregiver responsibilities.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Nie-biologiese versorgers neem dikwels kinders in hul sorg wanneer kinders se biologiese ouers versuim om vir hulle ‘n veilige en liefdevolle huis en omgewing te skep. Hierdie kinders kan ook ly aan of geaffekteer word deur Fetale Alkohol Spektrum Versteuring (FASV). Dit kan ‘n groot skok wees wanneer versorgers uitvind dat die kind geaffekteer is daardeur, veral as hierdie versteuring misverstaan word. Professionele hulp is skaars, en intervensies en hulpbronne is nie vryelik beskikbaar nie. Versorgers is dikwels nie voorbereid op die finansiële, emosionele en fisiese eise wat nodig is om ten volle die kind se ontwikkeling te ondersteun nie. Dit kan dit lei tot verskillende emosionele reaksies met verskeie gevolge wat opsigself ook verskeie uitdagings vir die nie- biologiese versorgers veroorsaak. Dit is van kritieke belang om die ervarings en uitdagings van ouerskap te verken in die bevordering en ontwikkeling van intervensiestrategieë ter ondersteuning van die behoeftes van die kinders met FASV en hul versorgers, veral vanuit ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse perspektief. Daar word vereis van maatskaplike werkers om verantwoordelikheid te neem vir die aanspreek van FASV, aangesien hulle die professionele kapasiteit het om families wat geaffekteer is te help, en om hulle by te staan sodat ‘n stabiele en koesterende huishouding ontwikkel en volgehou kan word. Een manier waarop dit bereik kan word, is deur die vestiging en fasilitering van ondersteuningsgroepe. Die doel van hierdie studie was om ‘n begrip te ontwikkel oor die ervarings van nie-biologiese versorgers van kinders met FASV se benutting van ondersteuningsgroepe. Die navorser het gebruik gemaak van ‘n kombinasie van ‘n verkennende en beskrywende navorsing. Deur die gebruik van beide ʼn kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe benadering, is die navorser in staat gestel om ‘n indiepte insig in die lewens van die versorgers te bekom, en ondersoek in te stel oor hul ervarings van die versteuring/gestremdheid deur ondersteuningsgroepe wat as intervensie aangewend is. Toestemming om die studie te doen is deur die Etiese Komitee vir Menslike Navorsing aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch bekom. Eerstens is die literatuurstudie voltooi waarin die navorser ondersoek ingestel het oor die implikasies van FASV op geaffekteerde kinders. Tweedens is daar bespreek hoe nie-biologiese versorgers geraak word deur die gevolge van hierdie versteuring/gestremdheid. Daarna is ondersteuningsgroepe as ‘n metode van ondersteuning aan versorgers ondersoek, en klem is gelê op ‘n wedersydse hulpbenadering en ‘n opvoedkundige benadering as teoretiese grondslag. Die empiriese studie is voltooi met 16 deelnemers deur middel van individuele, een-tot-een, semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude. ‘n Onderhoudskedule, wat gebaseer is op die bevindinge van die literatuurstudie, is gebruik. Die kriteria vir deelname aan die studie en groep het ingesluit dat deelnemers ten minste vyf sessies van ‘n ondersteuningsgroep moes bywoon en ook ‘n pleegouer wees van ‘n FASV kind. Die resultate van hierdie studie het meestal die bevindinge uit die literatuurstudie bevestig en het getoon dat ondersteuningsgroepe ‘n belangrike rol speel in ondersteuning aan nie-biologiese versorgers, wat dikwels onvoorbereid is op die werklike problematiek van die versorging van ‘n kind met FASV. Aanbevelings word gerig aan die maatskaplikewerk-professie in Suid-Afrika, ten einde ondersteuningsgroepe en ander metodes van dienslewering te bied, ter ondersteuning aan die versorgers van FASV kinders. Voorstelle vir verdere navorsing word ook gemaak sodat daar ‘n ondersteuningsnetwerk opgebou kan word vir die versorgers van ‘n FASV kind ten einde aan hulle unieke versorgingsbehoeftes te voorsien.