Hands that mold : Self concept in adult children of parents with alcohol use disorder

In Sweden there are around 400.000 estimated children that live together with an adult who has a riskful consumption of alcohol. This statistic is alarming due to the many consequences that a person's problematic alcohol consumption can have on their surroundings. Children who grow up in a household where there is a parent with a problematic alcohol consumption can be at risk of facing a wide variety of negative psychological consequences, both as children and later on in adulthood. This study aimed to examine how growing up with a parent/parents in alcohol use disorder can affect offspring's self concept, and what possible risk and protective factors could be. A systematic literature review was conducted using two databases: PsycInfo and Sociological Abstracts. 17 scientific articles were found and presented using a thematic analysis. A theoretical analysis was conducted using Bowlby's attachment theory. Results showed a wide variety in potential negative consequences for the self concept of adult children of parents in alcohol use disorder, and highlighted a number of factors that could mediate in the relationship between parental alcohol use disorder and adult childrens self concept. The self concept was also suggested to be a mediating factor for mental illness among these adult children. Findings of this study shows that cross-sectional studies are very common in research around children of parents in alcohol use disorder, and therefore there are many relationships between factors that cannot be causally determined at present. Opportunities for further research are discussed.