A new briefing on Parental Alcohol Misuse (PAM) has been released by the Government's Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. It follows increasing attention to the issue of parental drinking after several MPs have campaigned for more attention to the issue of 'Children of Alcoholics' (CoA).
The briefing identifies parental alcohol misuse (PAM) as 'a spectrum of problem drinking by those with parental responsibility for children', but highlights the majority of evidence focuses on parents drinking at or above harmful or dependent levels. The briefing identifies PAM is associated with a greater risk of mental and physical health problems, including eating disorders and depression, and is also associated with neglect and domestic abuse. It highlights child protection cases involving PAM have poorer welfare outcomes for children, whilst PAM is also linked to problematic parenting styles that may leave children with problems such as guilt, isolation, stigma.
A lack of high-quality evaluations of services specifically targeting children affected by PAM in the UK is highlighted, though the briefing notes protective factors that can help children to be resilient and have positive outcomes such as high self-esteem, whilst family-focussed services can improve outcomes for children and parents. Parenting skills, previously raised as a significant influence on problem drinking amongst young people, also has a limited evidence base, though seeking to improve family communication, cohesion, and child well-being may have beneficial impacts.
As such, the briefing makes some recommendations on possible 'future directions' across four key areas. For policy, further Government attention could include a national strategy for affected children as previously called for. Regarding service provision, increasing available support for families affected by different parental alcohol consumption levels is suggested, alongside improving multi-agency working and more training for professionals. 'Awareness raising' about the impact of alcohol misuse and available support across all possible groups is suggested, as well as recommendations on improving the evidence base, namely through evaluation of services and research across a range of areas.
'Parental alcohol misuse' - not just dependence...
Many in the alcohol field may welcome the briefing's outline of parental alcohol misuse as a spectrum which, whilst including the problems associated with dependent drinking, may help to avoid issues of conflation or stigma whilst highlighting opportunities for prevention.
Last year the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) released a report on the effects of drinking amongst non-dependent parents warning that 'parents do not have to regularly drink large amounts of alcohol for their children to notice changes in their behaviour and experience negative impacts' and offering guidance for parents and policy makers.
Certainly though the attention to the issue raised by MPs through the All Party Parliamentary Group on Children of Alcoholics appears to have had a significant impact, attracting regular media coverage, cross-party support and Government funding to support a national helpline run by the National Association of Children of Alcoholics (NACOA).
Whether or how any further Government policy or a dedicated national strategy materialises will remain to be seen. Local authorities, seemingly criticised for failing to implement targeted strategies on the issue of PAM, are currently struggling to maintain levels of drug and alcohol treatment provision in the context of public health cuts. Meanwhile other important issues, such as developing the currently limited evidence base around interventions to protect young people from parental drinking, or how best to tackle the stigma that surrounds alcohol problems and its surrounding terminology may also been seen as critical to any future success.
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