Parental Alcoholism and Family Functioning: Effects on Differentiation Levels of Young Adults

Communication and Cohesion among Family Members of Individuals with Substance Use Disorder in Iceland with a Focus on Adult Children of Addicts

“…This supports the research of Skowron and Dendy [7], Sunday et al [14] and Springera et al [9] that adult children of parents with a dependency can have trouble in family relations. This also reflects the results found by Johnson and Stone [10], mentioned above, which showed that those who were brought up by a parent with SUD experience less satisfaction and communication with their partner and their children than a control group.…”

“…These research results indicate that parents' SUD has an impact on how their children get on in adulthood, which also supports the research conclusions drawn by Springera, Sheridanb, Kuoc and Carnesb [9] and Skowron and Dendy [7]. Klosterman et al's findings support the research results of Johnson and Stone [10] as well. They examined how children who grew up with a parent with a substance use disorder experience happiness as an adult in their relationship with a partner and also how they experience their role as parents.…”

“…The control group consisted of individuals who had grown up under normal circumstances. The first group reported a lack of pleasure and interaction in their couple relationship and in their interaction with their own children, whereas the control group reported significantly higher levels of pleasure in their interactions with the family [10]. The results of the study revealed that adult children of dependent substance users are more likely to experience anxiety and try to avoid difficult situations.…”

“…According to the participants in the qualitative part of the study, it would be worthwhile to split those attending family therapy into groups according to which member of their family has a dependency. Those who have grown up with a parent with a SUD have difficulty with relationships and communication in their adult years, according to research [2,7,10] and would perhaps benefit from a different kind of therapy and support than is offered by current forms of group therapy for those with a family member with a SUD. The influence of SUD on families warrants further research, for example by carrying out a comparable research project with a larger sample that also asks participants about their mental well-being, with reference to stress, anxiety and depression.…”

“…The results of the study revealed that adult children of dependent substance users are more likely to experience anxiety and try to avoid difficult situations. Those participants who had grown up with substance dependence in the family showed significantly less ability to generate trust and intimacy in their relationships with others compared to the control group [10,15]. Other research has also shown that people who grew up with substance use disorder in the family find it significantly harder to build trust and intimacy in their relationships and experience less satisfaction in family relations than those without a chemically dependent family member [4,18,21].…”