Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Lanesskog, Deirdre

Abstract

Studies show that children who experienced parental substance misuse are at greater risk of developing symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, behavioral problems, or becoming a substance misuser later in adult life. This quantitative study used an on-line self-administered survey to examine whether adults who experienced parental substance misuse in childhood experienced greater levels of trauma in later life than those who did not experience parental substance misuse in childhood. This study used an independent variable t-test to compare participant scores on self-reported experiences of trauma between two groups: those who experienced parental substance misuse in childhood and those who did not. The t-test results show the participants who were exposed to parents who misused substances during childhood exhibited statistically significantly higher composite trauma scores than the participants who were not exposed to parents who misuse substances during childhood: t (29) = -3.652, p=.002. The findings will help social workers gain insight on this social issue. Social workers will be able to help in micro and macro levels and provide support to individuals who have experienced this trauma and have been impacted. Furthermore, the well-being of children and family dynamics is a major part of social work and support for human services.

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