16 percent of students grow up with a close relative who has an addiction

For her thesis entitled ‘Please, see me’: the impact of addiction problems of relatives on young adult family members, researcher Dorine van Namen analysed data from 5,600 higher professional education students in Rotterdam. 16 percent of them have a close relative with addiction problems.

She followed 30 students from this group for three years and found that they are under severe stress, which sometimes makes it difficult to study. Dorine van Namen works at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and obtained her PhD in Maastricht last month.

How many students in the Netherlands are affected?
‘I don't think the figures in Rotterdam are very different from those in the rest of the Netherlands. It's a problem that occurs in all walks of life. That's why I suspect that 16 percent is representative of the national average. Of course, we won't know for sure until other universities of applied sciences and research universities start conducting similar surveys.’

What are these students going through?
‘Almost always psychological violence, such as insults and humiliation. They were told that they were losers or good for nothing. A significant proportion of them also reported having suffered physical violence, such as kicking, hitting and cigarettes being stubbed out on their bodies. Some of them had experienced the death of a family member as a result of addiction.

Many of these students also have care responsibilities. For example, they are the ones doing chores at home or taking care of younger siblings. They had to put their siblings to bed or bathe them when their parents or partners were under the influence of alcohol or other substances.'

How does this situation impact their studies?
'There are big differences at the individual level, but in general, these students are slightly more likely to fall behind. In most cases, the biggest hurdle was graduating. The students often related this to the insults and humiliation they had endured throughout their lives, which made it difficult for them to imagine themselves completing their studies. It is common for their fear of failure to have a major impact on their studies.

Other students, however, get motivated by it. They think: 'My life will be different. I will make sure I succeed because I want a better life for myself.' These students often graduate on time. So, you can't just label them all the same."

How can educational institutions support these students?
‘Students often told me that just talking about their experiences could help a lot, especially when there was no judgment or unsolicited advice. If a student is having problems graduating, teachers can be aware of the social context the student is in and talk to them. If necessary, they can refer the student to appropriate support.

It should be noted that not everyone wants to talk about it. There are students who don't even know how common this is. They feel lonely because no one ever talks about this. It can help them to learn that they're not alone.’