Noel Chan
9/26/18
KWLA for Group 3/ mental health issues affect family dynamics interview- alcoholism
Due: 9/27/18
K: What I
know
W: What I
want to know
L: What I learn
on my
literature
speech?


Victoria’s mother dealing with alcoholism is an example of mental health issue.
Alcoholism is caused by cravings, loss of control, physical dependence, and
tolerance.
Alcoholism applies to the idea of habituation.
Alcoholism applies to all 3 domains: physical, cognitive, social.




How does alcoholism affect the cognitive domain?
How does alcoholism have an impact on relationships with other people?
How many people in America have an alcohol use disorder or have alcohol abuse?
How is resilience of an individual able to help him/her?


Alcoholism is a common disorder throughout America. In a study done by National Institute
on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “7% reported that they engaged in heavy alcohol use in
the past month and 15.1 million adults ages 18 and older had Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)”
((National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2015) Alcoholism has remained a
controversial problem within the United States and as a result impacted not only the
individuals themselves but their families as well. Also stated in the 2012 study, “more than
10 percent of U.S children live with a parent with alcohol problems” (National Institute on
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2015). Alcoholic parents tend to lash out toward their own
children and spouse due to emotional outbursts and side effects from consuming alcohol.
The influence of an alcoholic can break apart a family due to the challenges to overcome the
addiction. Who you are surrounded by and the setting in which you live in can contribute to
higher change of being addicted to alcohol. Without alcohol, some individuals may not be
able to function, so as a result heavily depend on alcohol to function.
A: How did I
apply all of the
above to my
project?
Victoria’s mother dealing with alcoholism has impacted her family dynamics. For
example, alcoholism has affected the type of parenting style throughout her childhood.
While interviewing her, she stated that her parent’s parenting styles changed from
authoritative to indifferent and her father was stricter than her mother. Authoritarian
parenting style shows parents who are highly controlling, show little warmth, and have strict
rules, children in the family contribute less to decision making process (Dunn & Craig,
2012). In this case, her parents had set rules on her behavior, dress code, and academics.
Indifferent parenting styles are parents who neither set limits nor display much affection or
approval (Dunn & Craig, 2012). As Victoria’s childhood gradually progressed, her mother
no longer made decisions for her. Not only did the way her parents raised her affect her, but
she received minimal disciplinary and nurturing actions in her adolescent age. She was able
to be more resilient because of the way she was raised and the minimal contact with her
mother forced her to be more independent and held more responsibilities.
Alcohol was a habitual response for her mother because of her constant reliance on
alcohol. Her mother’s alcoholism affected her the most because their relationship was so
strained that she would go days without contacting her mother, therefore affecting the
cognitive domain. The physical setting of how Victoria was raised in Bulgaria heavily
impacted how she physically developed as a child. Since her family came as immigrants to
America, transition to different environments can caused emotional and physical stress.
A theorist named Erikson explains the stages of psychosocial development (Sussman,
2013). Sussman states that, “alcohol prevention is best implemented during adolescence to
help them resolve role confusion and achieve a positive identity” (Sussman, 2013). As
Victoria struggles with the role she has to play in her family, she is facing the adolescence
stage of development and trying to achieve positive identity for herself. Another theorist
named Piaget explains the stages of cognitive development among children and adults
(Sussman, 2013). Adaptation is a wide concept that Piaget uses and is a process in which
individuals change to be more successful in an environment (Dunn & Craig, 2012). Her
family came as immigrants, and transitioning to a new environment in America made it
harder for her parents to find jobs and become financially stable.
R: Reflection
Using the available resources like Understanding Human Growth and Development texts,
journal articles and scholarly articles, I was able to understand and learn about the mental
health issues that affected family dynamics. Family dynamics is built strongly on
relationships, how an individual’s behavior towards another is displayed, and parenting
styles. Collaborating as a group allowed us to learn more about how a member of our group
member Victoria, dealt with a mental health issue in her family. Together, we formulated
comfortable questions to ask her and helped revise the types of questions to be asked. Doing
so, allowed me to see the different types of questions and elaborate in details. This project
has allowed me to get to know the other individuals in my class. I was able to put together a
shared document for my group to work on and share questions. I thought that this project
was very useful because it helped me understand how someone’s life is impacted by
someone in their family and how that individual is able to move on and become stronger. I
was able to keep in touch with my group with emails and decide on group meetings. Using
what I learned in class and applying it to a real life scenario was really fun because you can
create a better understanding from another person’s perspective.
Works Cited
Dunn, W. L., & Craig, G. J. (2012). Understanding Human Developmet (3rd ed.). Pearsom.
Hierarchy of Evidence Level IA
Sussman, S (2013, April 18). A Lifespan Developmental- Stage Approach to Tobacco and Other Drug Abuse
Prevention. Retrieved September 26, 2018, from https://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2013/745783/
Hierarchy of Evidence Level II
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (2015). NIAAA Council Approves Definition of
Binge Drinking. NIAAA Newsletter, No. 3, from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overviewalcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics Accessed 9/19/16.
group member, was
easy to contact, and
made it to group
meetings (5pts)
Good group
member, easy to
contact, made it to
most group
meetings
(4 pts)
X
Average group
member, not very
easy to contact, made
it to some group
meetings
(3 pts)
Below average group
member, not easy to
contact, did not show up
to many group meetings
I’ve never heard
of this group
member, who is
he or she/he?
(2 points)
(1-0 pts
Name of each
group member
including ‘self’
Victoria
Easy to contact
with and had
many great ideas
for the project
X
Amanda
had many great
ideas for the
project
X
Rachel
Easy to contact
with and had
many great ideas
for the project
X
Haileigh
Easy to contact
with and had
many great ideas
for the project
X
Self