Risk and resilience - Jim Orford

Risk and Resilience looks at the issue of young adults who grew up in families where a parent, and sometimes both, had a drinking problem. Alcohol-related problems are now recognized as being near the very top of the world league table of health and social problems. Since the large majority of problem drinkers are adults aged between 22 and 55, many are parents with children or adolescents in their care. In the USA alone, there are estimated to be over six million children under the age of 18 living with a parent with a drinking problem, and over 22 million adults - one in every eight American adults - who were brought up with a parent who had a drinking problem.
Clearly, many children who grow up in this sort of environment have a difficult childhood. Velleman and Orford examine the question of what happens to such children when they grow up. Risk and Resilience focuses on three main themes: What is the likelihood of such young adults developing drinking problems themselves? What is the likelihood of these children developing other problems as a result of their upbringing? And are some children particularly vulnerable, or are others particularly resilient?