Alcohol and Family Problems
Alcohol and family problems frequently go hand in hand. Addiction is a number one health problem. Its destructive effects spread beyond the addicted individual to include not only the larger society but also family members including the youngest of children. Children of alcoholics, and/or of parents who are addicted to other substances are at risk of developing psychological issues and concerns, including social, emotional and behavior problems, as well as problems learning in school.
Alcohol is the most commonly misused substance.
Children whose parents suffer from an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are children at risk. The stressors within the family that intersect with AUDs in a parent or other family members create risks for children growing up in these families. These include risks for developing various cognitive, psychosocial, behavioral and emotional concerns. They may show psychological concerns such as anxiety and/or depression, antisocial personality disorders and relationship difficulties. They are also 4 times more likely to develop an AUD, than children who grow up in families where an alcohol use disorder is not a problem.
These negative effects are not tied solely to AUDs, but instead are associated with various adverse childhood experiences that intersect with AUDs. There are also protective factors that can reduce or eliminate the risks these children might otherwise face. Not all of these children will show detrimental effects. Some will show resilience and healthy coping strategies to deal the challenges and stressors in their lives.
Nevertheless, children of addicted parents, regardless of the substance of misuse, are children at risk. They are more likely to develop Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) than children of non-addicted parents. They are also at risk, as noted above, of developing various other mental-health concerns, as well as behavioral and learning concerns.
Great numbers of these children exist. One in
eight children (8.7 million) in the United States under the age of seventeen lives
with at least one parent who suffers from a SUD disorder. One in ten children (7.5 million)
live in a household with at least one parent
with an AUD. They are four times more likely than children who do not grow up in families where alcoholism is a problem to develop an AUD.
Hence these children are more likely to perpetuate the inter-generational cycle of alcoholism in their own lives.
If alcohol and family problems, or a family member's addiction to other drugs are a concern in your family, it is important to intervene early and take preventative steps to help the children who are growing up in the family. Otherwise the psychological concerns they exhibit may escalate and become more difficult to reverse and deal with. Unless we help these children now, the psychological risks they face can follow them into adulthood.
It is essential that parents, caring adults and helping professionals focus on the plight of these children. They must develop an awareness of their issues and the strategies and skills to help them.
A Psychological Assessment Can Help When Alcohol and Family Problems Worry You.
A psychological assessment increases understanding of the psychological concerns that are at issue for a young person and how to help.
Learn how a young person is doing when a family member suffers from alcoholism, or other SUDs. Where are things going well? Where do you need to intervene to help? What kind of strategies can reduce the risks for these children?
Assess how a child is doing when alcohol and family problems affect your family. Use this information to develop strategies to help children of alcoholic parents and reduce the risks they face.
What Does a Psychological Assessment Comprise?
The following assessment measures can help you learn how a child is doing when alcohol and family problems affect your family. What measures are most appropriate depend on the child and his or her individual needs. Not all of these measures will apply in each case.
Various standardized measures, informal screening tools,
behavioral rating scales and informal measures, such as drawings and
play based interviews are used to assess the psychological well being of the child. What measures or procedures are most appropriate depend on the child,
and his or her individual needs. Not all of these measures will apply to
each case. Some of those that are typically used by Dr. O'Connor
include:
- Gathering Background Information: This
includes information about a young person, such as medical,
developmental and family history. In
addition, the parent provides information about their child’s strengths
and weaknesses, their view of where things are working or going well,
and what kind of help they seek.
- Informal/projective measures such as art and play therapy, or picture telling techniques, are often incorporated into the clinical interview with the child.
- Various standardized behavioral/emotional rating scales:
Numerous such measures may be completed by the parent, the teacher,
or other adults, when requested, and often the young person.
- Specific Behavior Rating Scales that are designed to explore various concerns that arise, such as ADHD, Anxiety or depression.
ORDER Dr. O’Connor’s book--I Can Be Me—and find help for children of addicted parents including children whose parents or other family members suffer from an Alcohol Use Disorder.
I CAN BE ME is a Helping Book for Children from Troubled Families-with a special focus on Children of Addicted Parents.
Click here, to learn more about this book and how it can help you to help young people when addiction is a problem in the family.
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