Scotland: Warnings About Impact of Parental Alcohol Use
A new report from a prevention charity Alcohol Focus Scotland has found even low levels of parental alcohol use can impact their children’s emotional well-being.
The research also shows higher levels of parental alcohol use can increase a child’s risk of physical harm.
Most importantly, the report highlights unintentional harm to children due to parents alcohol use. Alcohol Focus Scotland says, parents, services and relevant family support staff often have a lack of understanding as to the impact even lower-level alcohol use can have on children’s immediate emotional and physical wellbeing.
The research was conducted via 200 online surveys collected from Scottish families. In every family one parent and child between the age of 10 to 17 years was surveyed.
The majority of parents surveyed said they consumed alcohol within the UK Chief Medical Officers’ low risk alcohol guidelines of 14 units per week. Despite this, more than half of the children surveyed reported, they had seen their parent tipsy, and a third said that they had seen them intoxicated. Around a third of the children reported having felt embarrassed, confused, angry, worried, scared or ignored as a result of their parent’s alcohol use.
Movendi International previously reported that one study found a third of children in United Kingdom were affected by their parents’ alcohol use.
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