Recollection of Childhood Memories from Parental Drug and Alcohol Misuse in a Qualitative Study of Women in Greece

ABSTRACT

The present paper focuses on the recall of childhood experiences of adults who had at least one parent misusing alcohol and/or drugs. The study aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the recall of these experiences in adulthood and their effect on relationships with significant others. Twelve (12) adults, who had experienced as children in their family’s drug and alcohol misuse were interviewed and their interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings of the qualitative study suggest that adults recall in their childhood the reversal of family roles and traumas that seem to affect their current relationships. The research findings indicate the necessity of supporting early enough children who grow up in families where alcohol and drug misuse are part of daily life and to create a therapeutic alliance in adult life in order to advance in their relationship with self and others.

KEYWORDS:

• Children of guardians who misuse substances and gambling
• trauma
• parentification
• supportive environment

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the interviewers who kindly shared their experiences with us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.