Website for Children of Parents with Alcohol Problems Barbara Conijn & Heleen Riper

1. Website for Children of Parents with Alcohol Problems Barbara Conijn & Heleen Riper Trimbos-institute, Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction

2. overview of presentation Drankjewel.nl • explaining ‘drankjewel’.nl • advisory committee • target group • content • the web site • pilot implementation

3. Drankjewel.nl • Prevention Programme Trimbos-institute • Heleen Riper • Barbara Conijn • financed by the Ministry of Health, Welfare & Sports

4. Advisory Commission • Netherlands Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (NIGZ) • Brijder Foundation, regional Dutch institute for addiction • de Grift, regional Dutch institute for addiction • TACTUS, regional Dutch institute for addiction • Parnassia, regional Dutch institute for addiction • National Support Centre for Prevention (T-i) • Netherlands Institute for Care and Welfare (NIZW)

5. Target group Drankjewel.nl Children of parents with alcohol problems

6. Characteristics of families with a problem drinking parent • alcohol problems are at the core of family life • conducting tasks for ‘missing’ parent • masking the problems & protecting the drinking parent • unpredictable social life • lack of proper physical care • emotional neglect • aggression • sexual harassment

7. Youth Problems • severe psychological complaints: • depression • eating disorders • behavioural disorders • delinquency • increased risks for alcohol problems (starting during adolescence) • sleeping disorders and bed wetting • decreased school performance • physical complaints • causes: genetic disposition, personal traits & environment • but: protective factors

8. Problems for adults when compared with adults from non-problem drinking families • increased risk for problem drinking • difficulties with relationships & intimacy • weak communication skills • low self-esteem • more often a partner with problem drinking behaviour

9. Target group • 1 out of 12 adults in the Netherlands has (or had) a parent with an alcohol problem (Nemesis, 1997)  approximately 300.000 children • in 2 out of 3 cases: father • in 1 out of 3 cases: mother • sometimes both parents

10. Why Drankjewel.nl? • limited availability of low threshold interventions for COAP’s • the need for information, advice & anonymity for children • Internet is an adequate medium to offer low threshold interventions • Internet is able to access hidden target populations • Internet access: 95% of adolescents & 70% of the general population

11. What does Drankjewel.nl offer? • information & advice • recognition • contact: forum, e-mail and chat service • design • language • content

12. youth adults

13. Stories of others Facts about COAP’s How are you doing? All about alcohol use What to do? - Links - FAQ’s - Reading tips

14. What to do? 1.You can’t save your parents 2.Talk about it 3. Seek information 4. Do things you like 5. Write down your feelings 6. Do you worry about your siblings?

15. Looking back

16. Looking back 1. Your childhood 2. What was it like back than? 3. A drinking mother of father 4. What do children need? 5. How do children react to alcohol problems at home?

17. Pilot Implementation • May - October 2003 • Interactive functionality's • user forum (Tactus & NIGZ) • Question & Answer (NIGZ & de Grift) • chat with a professional (Jellinek) • process evaluation, content management & maintenance (Trimbos-institute)

18. User forum

19. Question & Answer (e-mail)

20. Thank you for your attention.