Older women’s experiences, identities and coping strategies for dealing with a problem-drinking male family member^*

Abstract

Aims: In this study, we highlight the identities and actions of women with a problem-drinking relative by analysing autobiographies of women born between the 1920s and the 1950s. We ask how women describe their relationship and the problems arising because of a significant other’s drinking and how they cope with these problems. Methods: In the analysis, we pay attention to the power dynamics between family members. We, first, trace what kind of positions or identities the protagonists take in relation to the drinker. Second, we examine what kinds of harms and emotional reactions significant other’s drinking causes. Third, we consider how writers identify or take distance from events described in the autobiographies. Findings: Our analysis reveals four main identities and coping strategies: the positions of victim, helper, boundary setter and fighter. The victim and helper positions often entail women’s weakness and oppressed role, while the positions of boundary setter and fighter express women’s own power and reflexivity in action. Conclusions: Knowledge of the identities and coping strategies is important for understanding the power aspects of a relationship and developing appropriate support for women suffering from family member’s drinking.

Keywords:

• Coping
• wives of alcoholics
• drinking problems
• autobiographies
• qualitative research
• identity

Acknowledgements

The article was written as a part of the project Drinking, gender differences and social change. (project no. 137685, Academy of Finland, and project no. 2014-0167, FORTE, Sweden).

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.