Thesis

An exploration of adult children’s experiences of parental alcohol use

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2026
Thesis identifier
  • T17993
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 201894574
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • This thesis investigates the lived experiences of individuals born in Glasgow between 1956 and 1988 who grew up in households affected by parental alcohol use. Existing research on adult children [of alcoholics] has largely focused on negative outcomes, framed through a risk-focused lens, and dominated by quantitative studies from US populations, with little focus on the UK context. Alcohol use is often examined in isolation from broader life circumstances, neglecting the complex interplay of individual, familial, community, societal, and historical factors. Focusing on Glasgow further enables a context-specific understanding, reflecting the city’s distinctive socioeconomic and cultural history of alcohol use. To explore these experiences, 20 narrative interviews were conducted, privileging participant voices. Data was analysed following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis framework Three core themes emerged. ‘Normalising Dysfunction: Patterns of Harm and Gendered Roles’ illustrates how violence, neglect, and gendered expectations shaped perceptions of normality across family and community contexts. ‘Disappearing: Loss and the Erosion of Childhood’ captures the erosion of childhood through bereavement, loss, and early responsibility and ‘parentification’. ‘Surviving: Coping and Active Agency’ highlights coping strategies and agency, showing how education, mentorship, and community resources fostered resilience. The themes were then organised through the socioecological model, encompassing individual, familial, community, societal and historical/political levels. By situating these narratives within socioecological levels, the study underscores the need for consideration of adult children’s broader experiences rather than simply in the context of parental alcohol use. The thesis contributes theoretical, empirical, and policy insights, advocating for holistic responses to alcohol-related harm that take account of the interplay of individual, familial, societal, and historical factors in shaping adult children’s lives.
Advisor / supervisor
  • Paul, Sally
  • Harris, Bernard, 1961-
Resource Type
DOI
Date Created
  • 2025

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