A family affair: contextual accounts from addicted youth growing up in substance using families
Abstract
There are currently over 8 million children in the USA living in households where at least one parent is dependent on or abusing substances. Research has shown a link between parental substance use and children initiating substance use. This article uses qualitative data to give a contextual understanding of the experience of growing up in substance using homes. Results found that the habitus of homes was so immersed in substances that children's initiation into substance use was expected and became a ‘rite of passage’ into full acceptance as an adult member of the family. Furthermore, in many cases youth described a role reversal between child and parent roles or parentification in the family. The conclusion calls for early identification in treatment of youth who use substances with family members to target new norms and behaviors for the entire family posttreatment and to enhance successful recovery when returning to the family.
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Female adolescents revealed that their role in the family changed from being a child to taking the parental role, a process called parentification.
“Female adolescents revealed that their role in the family changed from being a child to taking the parental role, a process called parentification (Hedges, 2012).”
From “I Feel It In My Heart When My Parents Fight”: Experiences of 7–9-Year-Old Children of Alcoholics (2018) · cites this paper as Hedges, 2012
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“I Feel It In My Heart When My Parents Fight”: Experiences of 7–9-Year-Old Children of Alcoholics
Tinnfält, A., Fröding, K., Larsson, M., & Dalal, K. (2018) · Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal · doi:10.1007/s10560-018-0544-6 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
“This is sometimes called parentification (Hedges, 2012; Vernig, 2011).”
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- Authors
- Hedges, K. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Arizona (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hedges, Kristin E.
- Venue
- Journal of Youth Studies
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2012-05
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 257-272
- ISSN
- 1367-6261 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-9680
- OpenAlex
- W2105459439
- Cited by
- 24
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 0.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Youth Studies (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Demography › Youth, Drugs, and Violence
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Child Welfare and Adoption
- Keywords
- adolescent substance use, parental substance use, children of substance users, family environment, habitus, rites of passage, parentification, role reversal, family-based treatment, recovery, early detection
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