The relevance of this research is due to the wide prevalence of addictive behavior and the insufficient knowledge of the coping strategies of patients and their families. The purpose of this research was to investigate the resource factors and coping strategies of adults with alcohol-addicted parents and to make recommendations for psychological counseling for these people. The sample consisted of 52 subjects—who were participants in a twelve-step rehabilitation program for adult people whose parents had alcohol addictions—and 50 controls. We used guilt questionnaires (“The Guilt Inventory Questionnaire”, “The Interpersonal Guilt Questionnaire”), quantitative methods for evaluating the coping strategies used by participants (“coping strategies” (Lazarus, Folkman)), and a phenomenological analysis of the interviews with the participants. The results showed that adults with alcohol-addicted parents felt guilty in situations when they took care of somebody because their own parents did not model (and teach them) caretaking behavior. People whose parents were alcohol addicts tend to avoid accepting responsibility for their lives. The resource factors of people with alcohol-addicted parents included keeping a diary, participation in a rehabilitation program, and confidential communication with other people.
Relevance. The term “family pain” is used in family psychotherapy to refer to the emotional state of dysfunctional family members. Research on this phenomenon in dysfunctional alcoholic families can expand the understanding of the family system and allow us to formulate the goals of psychotherapy with such families. Objective. To investigate the “family pain” experienced by adult children of alcoholics. Methods. The sample consisted of 52 people who were in a recovery program for adult children of alcoholics (ACA), and 50 controls. We implemented a phenomenological analysis of ACA groups, a content analysis of images of “family pain”, and factor analysis of the characteristics of “family pain”. Results. The study showed significant differences between the images of “family pain” experienced by adults who were raised and still live in alcoholic families, by those whose parents were alcoholics and had died by the time of the survey, and by those whose parents were not alcoholics. People who live with their alcoholic parents describe “family pain” as a familiar, long process with effects on the whole family. The experience of “family pain” includes anger, shame, and self-pity. People whose parents were alcoholics and have died describe “family pain” as a feeling of guilt towards their parents and a process of experiencing their parents’ death. The control group had difficulty describing “family pain”, or described it as a process of experiencing their parents’ death. Conclusions. Representations of “family pain” are associated with the subjective meaning of family dysfunction for the participant and the experience of negative emotions in the family.
Background. People with alcohol-addicted parents are at risk of psychoactive addictions, co-dependency, and suicidal behavior. Most studies of these people are aimed at confirming the inevitability of the impact of negative childhood experiences on their lives, and thus do not seek to identify resource factors which would allow them to overcome the negative emotions they experienced. Objective. The purpose of this study was to create a model of resource factors which would allow people with alcohol-addicted parents to overcome the negative emotions they experienced. Design. The participants were 58 healthy individuals (17 men and 41 women; M=25.2; SD=4.4) whose parents were alcohol addicts (they were participants in the 12-step recovery program "Adult Children of Alcoholics"), and 50 healthy individuals (15 men and 35 women, M=24.2; SD=3.7) whose parents were not alcohol addicts. The participants completed the questionnaires "Interpersonal Guilt," "Family Emotional Communication," and "Coping Strategies," and were interviewed on the resource factors which allowed them to overcome negative emotions. We used the content analysis of the interviews and latent variable modeling to analyze the questionnaires. Results. The model of resource factors (CFI=0.895, RMSEA=0.064) showed that the rules set by the parental dysfunctional family (the taboo on the expressing emotions, and external well-being) were associated with being unable to recognize current negative emotions and with avoiding problems. The ability to recognize negative emotions was connected with the participant’s willingness to accept responsibility for his/her life. The resource factors which allowed these subjects to overcome their negative emotions included: communication with relatives and friends; keeping a diary of emotions; and participating in recovery programs. Conclusion. Our model of resource factors explains the mechanism connecting dysfunctional family rules with the resource factors and negative emotions experienced by people with alcohol-addicted parents.
Relevance. Th e question of the role of the feelings of guilt in the rehabilitation process of people whose parents were alcohol addicts remains controversial. In cognitive behavioral therapy, the feeling of guilt is associated with taking the responsibility. In the humanistic approach, the feelings of guilt and shame are considered as emotions that hinder the acceptance of responsibility and the search for social support. Th e study of the experience of the feelings of guilt can help formulate the goals of rehabilitation and identify the resource factors of people whose parents were alcohol addicts. Objective. Th e purpose of this study was to study the relationship between the responsibility and the feelings of guilt experienced by people whose parents were alcohol addicts. Methods. Sample: 1) people whose parents were alcohol addicts (N = 52; M age = 24.5); 2) control group (N = 50; M age = 24.2). We used a phenomenological analysis of the statements of the participants in the twelve-step recovery program, “Th e Interpersonal Guilt Questionnaire” (O’Connor, Berry), “Th e GuiltInventory Questionnaire” (Kugler, Jones), “Coping strategies” (Lazarus, Folkman), the content analysis of the family resource factors. Results. People whose parents suff ered from chronic alcoholism characterize the feelings of guilt as a familiar family process, as a result of increased responsibility for other people, as a result of taboo aggression towards their parents and as a result of experiencing a real or expected loss of their parents. An increased feeling of guilt is associated with avoiding fi nding a solution to a problem and is not associated with taking increased responsibility. Resource factors contributing to overcoming the feeling of guilt: keeping a diary, self-observation of negative emotions, communication with friends and healthy relatives, participation in rehabilitation programs. Th e participants in the control group are less inclined to experience the feelings of guilt and shame, and identify the confi dential communication with family and friends, and sport as resource factors. Conclusions. Th e feelings of guilt experienced by people whose parents were alcohol addicts is not associated with the acceptance of increased responsibility for their lives and does not contribute to the acceptance of the social support.
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