Young people living with parental alcohol misuse and parental violence: ‘No‐one has ever asked me how I feel in any of this’

Abstract

Young people are adversely affected by negative family experiences, but there is a gap in knowledge when the commonly co‐existing issues of parental alcohol misuse and parental domestic abuse are considered. Research which talks directly to the young people living in such circumstances is therefore needed. As part of a Europe‐wide research study, eight young people aged 12–18 years from five families in England were interviewed about their experiences of living with parental alcohol misuse and violence. Strong links emerged between parental drinking and domestic abuse, with verbal aggression common, and frequent and physical violence less frequent, but of equal concern. The young people had tried and were trying a range of strategies to try and cope with their home environments, and faced an ongoing battle in working out what to do for the best. Support from family, friends, and professionals was discussed, but the young people generally had mixed views about what help they had received and the support that they would have liked. The paper discusses what the findings might mean in terms of the practice and policy response to children living in risky family environments.