Children's Needs – Parenting Capacity - Digital Education Resource ...

162 Children’s Needs – Parenting CapacityResearch suggests that parental drug and alcohol misuse increases the likelihoodof children having a problem with alcohol and drugs. For example, children aged11–12 years used more alcohol, cannabis and tobacco if their parents had drug oralcohol problems. Parental problem drug and alcohol use also made children moresusceptible to peer influence; if parents were abstinent it decreased the influence ofpeers (Li et al. 2002). A similar relationship was found in a large-scale Finnish studywhich focused on 15-year-old children (Seljamo et al. 2006). Finally, research wouldsuggest that mothers’ prenatal cannabis and tobacco use increased the chance of theirchildren using cannabis at age 14 years (Day et al. 2006). A longitudinal Canadianstudy reported similar findings in relation to prenatal cannabis use but also showedthis was more strongly associated with male rather than female offspring (Porathand Fried 2005). But the relationship is complex, and most children of parents withsubstance misuse problems do not themselves become problem drinkers or drugusers (Velleman 1993). For some children, growing up observing the devastatingimpact that problematic drugs or alcohol use had on their family was a sufficientdeterrent.Never, never in my life, no ... no way, after what happened with my mum anddad, no way, nothing, I’d never touch nothing. I know a lot of folk just say that,but from experience, like what’s happened; never ever.(Child of problem drug-using parents, quoted in Barnard 2007, p.131)Adolescents may be at risk of physical assaults when parental problems result inviolence and unpredictable behaviour. Children report ‘the fear of constant arguments,actual physical violence or the threat of it, either to a parent (usually the mother) or tothemselves and, at times, fear of sexual abuse’ (Kroll and Taylor 2003, p.169). Threeout of five children with a problem-drinking father and two out of five with aproblem-drinking mother spoke of their own physical abuse (ChildLine 1997). Anon-drinking parent may not always be able to protect the child because the parentwith the alcohol problem may assault both the child and the non-drinking parent.‘Dad gets drunk every day, he hits me and Mum ... we don’t provoke him ... he brokemy arm once’ (Tracy aged 12, quoted in ChildLine 1997, p.23). When parents failto protect the child it may undermine the child’s confidence in, and respect for, theparent concerned.Adolescents may also be at risk of physical harm if they are routinely left in thecare of the drinking or drug-misusing parent. This can engender feelings of betrayaland not being cared about.Mum works at night. Dad comes home drunk and beats me up. I dread thenights.(Jane aged 12, quoted in ChildLine 1997, p31)In situations of domestic violence children may get injured when they try toprotect one parent from the other.