Frozen, tangled, brave : not a Disney phenomenon : childhood experiences of adult children who had a parent with a drug addiction

Abstract

Consequences of addiction are experienced not only by the person with a drug addiction, but also by other people in their family. When a parent has a drug addiction, it can significantly impair the growth and development of children. However, research has also indicated that children may find ways to cope through these adversities and develop resilience. Although there is abundant research on childhood experiences of living with a parent who has a drug addiction, this phenomenon has not been explored in the Maldivian context. Thus, the purpose of this retrospective qualitative research is to explore the childhood experiences of adult children who had a parent with a drug addiction, who are currently living in Male’, Maldives. Four participants were recruited through purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Four themes emerged from the analysis (1) Icing Conditions – I experienced things that no child should experience (2) Tangled in the turbulence – This became my normality (3) Mayday! Mayday! – the unexpected turns brought by the turbulence and (4) Turning for Plan B: B is for BRAVE. These results have practical implications especially to recognize the adverse experiences children faces due to parental drug addiction and the necessity to provide them with support through policy and practice intervention