The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate if children to parent/parents who abuse alcohol have found ways to strengthen themselves, and how they deal with their everyday life and their own feelings and health. To get answers to our study, we have read seven biographies which we have analyzed by using coping theory. Our study shows that the children in our empiricism are keeping their parents abuse as a secret. Our study shows that children have found strategies to cope and manage to live with parents with alcohol abuse, even though their childhood conditions have been difficult and they had few people around to support them.

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.

This research is concerned with the construction of identity with regards to female children of alcoholics studying at Rand Afrikaans University (RAU). Available literature on this topic suggests that the context of parental alcoholism is not conducive to the healthy construction of identity, particularly with regards to self-esteem and the ability to create strong, trusting relationships in later life. It seems that it is during the young adult years, namely between the ages of 18 and 25, that concerns surrounding one’s identity begin to emerge. The study was conducted from a qualitative perspective, namely social constructionism, in which meaning making is unique to each individual and the construction of identity is impacted on by one’s context, culture, history and language. Focus groups were conducted on a sample of female, students at RAU who were socialised within the context of parental alcoholism. This sample represented the ethnic ratio of RAU students during 2003. The focus group sessions were videotaped with the informed consent of the participants. Five focus groups were conducted for a duration of one hour each. The sessions were transcribed after which a discourse analysis was executed. The results of the study suggest that the construction of identity is impacted on by a context of parental alcoholism. It seems that female students experience a great sense of responsibility towards others to the extent of taking on a parental function and denying their own needs. In addition to this, a common thread, which seemed to weave itself through the stories of the participants, was that of struggling with intimate relationships, in particular, trusting others appeared especially difficult and painful. / Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Psychology / unrestricted

Peu d’études explorent les fréquences de traumas et d’état de stress posttraumatique (ÉSPT) chez les itinérants, spécifiquement parmi ceux avec des troubles liés à l’utilisation de substances (TUS). L’objectif principal de cette étude était de mesurer les fréquences de trauma et d’ÉSPT parmi les usagers en traitement pour des TUS à Montréal. L’autre objectif était de vérifier les différences entre ceux ayant ou non un ÉSPT. 51 individus itinérants, 9 femmes et 42 hommes, ont constitué l’échantillon. L’âge moyen était de 46 ans (SD = 7.19). Les participants ont vécu en moyenne 4.24 (SD = 2.06) types de trauma. 49% de l’échantillon avaient potentiellement un diagnostic d’ÉSPT. La majorité avait: un parent alcoolique, vécu un trauma dans l’enfance et un soutien social faible. Les participants qui avaient potentiellement un diagnostic d’ÉSPT: avaient un parent alcoolique, vécurent un trauma dans l’enfance et utilisaient davantage de stratégies de coping inadaptées. / Few studies explored the frequencies of trauma and of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among homeless individuals and especially, among those being treated for substance use disorders (SUD). The main objective of the study was to measure the frequencies of traumas and potential1 PTSD diagnosis among clients being treated for SUD in Montreal. The other objective was to verify differences between those with or without a potential PTSD diagnosis. The sample consisted of 51 homeless individuals, 9 women and 42 men. The mean age was 46 years (SD = 7.19). Participants experienced in average 4.24(SD = 2.06) trauma types. 49% of the sample had a potential PTSD diagnosis. Most participants had: an alcoholic parent, experience an early trauma and little social support. The participants who had a potential PTSD diagnosis: had an alcoholic parent, experienced an early trauma, and significantly used more maladaptive coping strategies.

Peu d’études explorent les fréquences de traumas et d’état de stress posttraumatique (ÉSPT) chez les itinérants, spécifiquement parmi ceux avec des troubles liés à l’utilisation de substances (TUS). L’objectif principal de cette étude était de mesurer les fréquences de trauma et d’ÉSPT parmi les usagers en traitement pour des TUS à Montréal. L’autre objectif était de vérifier les différences entre ceux ayant ou non un ÉSPT. 51 individus itinérants, 9 femmes et 42 hommes, ont constitué l’échantillon. L’âge moyen était de 46 ans (SD = 7.19). Les participants ont vécu en moyenne 4.24 (SD = 2.06) types de trauma. 49% de l’échantillon avaient potentiellement un diagnostic d’ÉSPT. La majorité avait: un parent alcoolique, vécu un trauma dans l’enfance et un soutien social faible. Les participants qui avaient potentiellement un diagnostic d’ÉSPT: avaient un parent alcoolique, vécurent un trauma dans l’enfance et utilisaient davantage de stratégies de coping inadaptées. / Few studies explored the frequencies of trauma and of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among homeless individuals and especially, among those being treated for substance use disorders (SUD). The main objective of the study was to measure the frequencies of traumas and potential1 PTSD diagnosis among clients being treated for SUD in Montreal. The other objective was to verify differences between those with or without a potential PTSD diagnosis. The sample consisted of 51 homeless individuals, 9 women and 42 men. The mean age was 46 years (SD = 7.19). Participants experienced in average 4.24(SD = 2.06) trauma types. 49% of the sample had a potential PTSD diagnosis. Most participants had: an alcoholic parent, experience an early trauma and little social support. The participants who had a potential PTSD diagnosis: had an alcoholic parent, experienced an early trauma, and significantly used more maladaptive coping strategies.