The forgotten children: The effects of support groups on children of parents with harmful substance use

Support groups provide hope and knowledge

Since the late 1980s, support groups have become a common intervention for children growing up in families affected by addiction. Municipal social services are the most common providers, but support groups are also offered by the Church of Sweden, regional authorities and voluntary organisations.

In these groups, children and young people meet others with similar experiences and are given the opportunity to talk about their situation. Discussions revolve around themes such as parental substance use, the child’s feelings towards the parent, coping strategies and boundaries, and knowledge about alcohol, drugs and mental ill-health. The groups are led by one or two facilitators.

For many children, discovering that they are not alone and gaining knowledge that helps them understand their situation can be highly meaningful.

Emotional problems decrease in the long term, conduct problems in the short term

Peter led an impact evaluation of support groups for children aged 6 to 12 who are growing up with parents who have alcohol or drug problems.

The results show that support groups primarily reduce emotional problems, both in the short and long term.

The effects are more short-lived, however, for children who display externalising and conduct-related behaviours. After six months, many children had returned to breaking rules and social norms, such as lying, cheating, stealing from school or being mean to other children.

- Additional support measures could help children maintain these positive changes and prevent conduct problems from returning. One example would be interventions that involve parents, says Peter.

Girls benefit the most from support groups

Support groups have the greatest impact on three groups: girls, children aged 10–12, and children whose parents have a university education.

One possible explanation is that girls who grow up under adverse conditions are more likely to develop emotional problems, whereas boys are more likely to develop externalising and conduct-related behaviours.

– Since support groups reduce emotional problems, this may explain why girls benefit more. It is perhaps less surprising that older children benefit more, as their cognitive ability to engage with and absorb the content of the support groups is likely to increase with age, says Peter.

Finding the children and collaborating within municipalities remains challenging

The study also shows that support group leaders face difficulties in identifying the children who need support. This is despite the fact that approximately 320,000 children and young people under the age of 18 are growing up with a parent who has harmful substance use, according to a review study by CAN (the Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs).

At the same time, only 3,700 children and young people participated in some form of support activity during 2025, according to a report by Movendi Sweden.

– This should not be blamed on support group leaders. Rather, it points to significant collaboration challenges among municipal actors working with children and young people. The difficulties appear to lie at the organisational level rather than with individual group leaders, says Peter.

The study found that collaboration works best with other municipal actors working with children, such as child and youth social services and schools. Cooperation is less effective with actors addressing parents’ difficulties, such as addiction treatment services and psychiatric care.

– This suggests that collaboration within municipalities can be difficult. Support groups could be offered to children whose parents are receiving treatment within psychiatric services or for harmful substance use, says Peter.

TEXT: Lena Lindkvist