Growing-Up With a Substance-Dependent Parent: Development of Subjective Risk and Protective Factors

Abstract

A qualitative phenomenological study of high-risk adolescents, who are children of substance-dependent parents, explored the presence of subjective risk and protective factors. Nineteen adolescents were interviewed, all of whom had a father or both parents either actively dependent on psychoactive substances or recovering from substance dependence. The participants were assigned to one of two groups, based on the degree to which they maintained normative lives or had misused substances themselves. It was found that certain perceptions of the participants, concerning themselves and their parents, served as either subjective risk or protective factors, respectively. Implications for the treatment of this population are outlined.

RÉSUMÉ

Grandir avec des parents toxicomanes: Développement des facteurs de risque subjectif et de protection

Une étude qualitative et phénoménologique d’adolescents à risque élevé ayant des parents toxicomanes, a étudié la présence des facteurs de risque subjectif et de protection. Dix-neuf adolescents ont été interviewés, tous ayant un père ou deux parents activement toxicomanes ou guérissant de la toxicomanie. Les participants ont été affectés à l’un de deux groupes, selon le degré de tenue d’une vie normative ou l’usage qu’ils ont fait eux-mêmes de substances nocives. Les résultats démontrent que certaines perceptions des participants les concernant eux-mêmes ou concernant leurs parents, ont servi respectivement soit de facteur de risque subjectif, soit de facteur de protection. Les implications pour le traitement de cette population sont indiquées.

RESUMEN

Crecer con un padre/una madre adicto(a): Desarrollo de riesgo subjetivo y factores protectores

Un estudio cualitativo fenomenológico de adolescentes en alto-riesgo quienes son hijos(as) de padres adictos a sustancias, exploró la presencia de riesgo subjetivo y factores protectores. Diecinueve adolescentes fueron entrevistados, todos ellos tuvieron un padre o ambos padres activamente adicto(s) a sustancias o recuperándose de la adicción a un sustancia. Los participantes fueron asignados a uno de entre dos groups en base a la medida en la cual maintenían vidas normativas o habían hecho ellos mismos uso indebido de sustancias. Se halló que ciertas percepciones de los participantes acerca de ellos mismos y sus padres servían como riesgo subjetivo o factores protectores, respectivamente. Se delinean las implicaciones para el tratamiento de ésta población.

Keywords :

• adolescence
• phenomenology
• protective factors
• risk factors
• substance-dependent parents

THE AUTHORS

Natti Ronel, Ph.D., is a senior lecturer at the Department of Criminology, Bar-Ilan University. He previously held a position at Tel Aviv University, School of Social Work, where he also served as the Researcher-in-Chief of the interdisciplinary center for children and youth studies. He is a member of the World Society of Victimology, the Israeli Society of Criminology (board member), and the Israeli Council for Criminology. He is a licensed clinical criminologist who holds a private practice mainly with youth and adults who exhibit addiction, violence, and/or victimization. He also leads continuous training and supervision courses for professionals who work with these populations.

Mayan Levy-Cahana is a socio-rehabilitative criminologist who serves as an investigator of internal affairs at the Ministry of Justice, Israel. Her research interest is currently focused on victimology, and she coordinates a study of women who experienced sexual abuse during childbirth.

Notes

3 The reader is referred to Hills's (1965) criteria for causation, which were developed in order to help researchers and clinicians determine whether risk factors were causes of a particular disease or outcomes or merely associated. Editor's note.