Att växa upp med minst en förälder som har ett substansbrukssyndrom : En kvalitativ studie ur ett emotionssociologiskt och dramaturgiskt perspektiv

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this bachelor thesis was to study the experiences that children had growing up in poor living conditions due to their parent's substance abuse. The children included in this study are in adult age describing their childhood in relation to their parents substance abuse and the effect it had on them. The consequences both short-term and long-term, as well as the mental health of these children and how it has been affected is the main study object. In this study where a qualitative content analysis was chosen, blog posts written by adult children from the “Maskrosbarn” organization laid the foundation for our chosen empirical data. The selection for the blog choices is adult children who have had at least one parent growing up with substance abuse. The results show that different people choose to express themselves and perceive the substance abuse in different ways. However, what was common was that they all had experiences of it having a negative impact on their family and relationships. Life as a child in such a family was described as difficult, with a lot of responsibilities and conflicts. How these children handled these situations were different, as it was all about adapting to their parents’ behaviors and needs. The children had to take on a lot of responsibilities that their parents or younger siblings had because of the guilt they felt towards them. Apart from that, they could not talk about what was happening at home, and always kept a facade for a good family since it was considered shameful. Many children are also affected into adulthood, where the consequences of having grown up in these conditions have not yet been released emotionally. The sociology of emotions and dramaturgical perspectives are used to analyze the statements of the people, as they express different emotions and how they kept an on act as children.