?Read and provide follow-up responses to classmates initial answers or responses that integrate course theories with a practi

Week 5 Topic:  How are adolescents impacted by a family members' substance use? Provide at least three examples in your response.

In families with substance use disorders (SUDs), there are significant effects on the entire family, not just the user. Research has shown that families with SUDs show patterns that significantly impact child development with the likelihood of emotional, behavioral, or substance use problems. Parental SUDs negative impact on the family include disruption of attachment, roles, routines, rituals, social life, communication, and finances. Families in which a parent has a SUD typically live in an environment full of secrecy, conflict, emotional chaos, fear, violence and abuse, and role reversal (Lander, Howsare & Byrne, 2013). An example of how adolescents are impacted by a family member’s substance abuse is that they often have trouble establishing trusting relationships with others, or can be overly emotional in relationships due to the emotional instability in the home. Often developing low self-esteem, these characteristics are carried into adulthood, and are typical for adult children of alcoholics. Normal adolescent developmental tasks are learning to balance freedom with responsibility, and to establish healthy peer relationships. The negative impact on these developmental tasks occur because the teen might model the behavior of the parent with SUD, or because of impaired early attachment, so these adolescents have difficulty forming healthy peer relationships. Another example of having a parent with SUD is the impact on developing healthy affect regulation, which will be difficult for these adolescents to achieve. The result is that there is an increased risk for the adolescent having internalizing problems such as anxiety and depression, or externalizing problems such as opposition, anger outbursts, impulsivity, conduct problems (lying, stealing, and truancy), aggressivity, and substance abuse (Lander et al., 2013). Another example of the impact on an adolescent in a home with parental SUD is role reversal in which they become “parentified.” This means they take on responsibilities to parent themselves and perhaps younger siblings at a developmentally inappropriate age. Parenting the parents can include helping them to bed when they are intoxicated, cleaning up after them when they get sick, and making excuses to protect them. This sets the adolescent up potentially for a lifetime with the inability to set healthy boundaries in relationships (Lander et al., 2013).

Lander, L., Howsare, J., & Byrne, M. (2013). The impact of substance use disorders on families and children: from theory to practice. Social work in public health, 28(3-4), 194-205.

My response:

Good afternoon Valerie

    Family substance abuse always has longitudinal affects which alter the course of the family member dynamics and growth.  One study done found that “exposure to parental substance use during a child's adolescent years was a period critical to selectively increasing risk for the development of a SUD in those youth” (Yule & et. al, 2013). This study implies that along with the genetic factor that may increase the risk of SUD among family members, when the parents are using drugs during the child’s formative years, they become more at risk for drug dependence themselves. This connection makes sense. Adolescence is a time of defining one’s moral boundaries, discovering more about oneself and also becoming more aware of those around you. Therefore, adolescents are prone to knowingly and unknowingly greatly look to their parents to define many of these life aspects. Along with an increased likelihood or drug and alcohol use, the adolescent is also may develop severe trust issues. While a parent is in the cycle of substance abuse, they may make promises to their children that they can not keep. They may also fail to show up for important events, remember important dates and just all around be absent for their child’s life. The child, who is supposed to be able to rely and trust their parents above all others, are left to navigate their lives alone. Another possible occurrence with adolescent’s impacted by familial substance use, is participating in “responsibility extremes”. This can look like when an adolescent either assumes all of their parent’s failed responsibilities. They become the new parent to their younger siblings and themselves. This can create perfectionism and workaholics. Another option is for the adolescent to become a very irresponsible and bag member of society. This can look like participating in under age drinking, drinking and driving or even theft.

Reference

Yule, A. M., Wilens, T. E., Martelon, M. K., Simon, A., & Biederman, J. (2013). Does exposure to parental substance use disorders increase substance use disorder risk in offspring? A 5-year follow-up study. American Journal on Addictions, 22(5), 460–465. Retrieved from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h& AN=89769044&site=ehost-live&scope=site

My response:

Good afternoon Alexia

Adolescents are impacted by a family member's substance abuse in many different ways such as a disruptive home environment and the possibility can cause health issues for children due to the lack of proper health care and meals being provided, it can also  impact a child's life in some very dramatic ways.  Studies have been conducted and children who has been exposed to an SUB usually  starts at a young age may experience that exposure over a greater length of childhood and in the most formative years.  This can cause children to copy what their parents are doing.  Childhood exposure to substance abuse can cast a long shadow, in other words. For example, children abused by a substance-abusing parent are more than 50 percent more likely to be arrested as juveniles, 40 percent more likely to commit a violent crime, as susceptible to health problems and morbidity as a drug-abusing parent—this by extension from at least one study that found this trend applied to family members in general, whose rates of diagnosis and needs for health care are comparable to those of the chemically dependent loved one (Beach House, 2018).    Many times when adolescents grow up in a home where a family member has an addiction problem the child becomes that parent to other siblings, and this can cause the child to become withdrawal from not only their family but from school and friends as well.  Communication between the parent and child is lost and it could cause family stress which would lead to abuse of the other parent and or children.  

Reference:

Beach House. (2018, August 07). Family Dynamics of Addiction and Life After Rehab. Retrieved from https://www.beachhouserehabcenter.com/learning-center/family-dynamics-of-addiction-and-life-after-rehab/

My response:

Good afternoon Sharon

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