Experiences of adult children of alcoholics and adult orphaned children of alcoholic caregivers in Botswana: resilience or resemblance

Alcoholism is a major global health issue that affects many countries including Botswana. Globally, alcohol consumption accounts for 3 million deaths each year, overall alcohol harmful use is responsible for 5.1% of total global burden diseases. Historically, alcohol has been a vital part of Botswana culture. Currently, studies indicate that Botswana experiences high level of abstention and episodic heavy drinking, and an HIV/AIDS prevalence of 18%. Alcohol is one of the major contributing factors to social ills that affect families and children such as child neglect, underage drinking leading to school dropout, high risky behaviors that lead to unplanned pregnancies and HIV/AIDS.

Health practitioners in Botswana deal with children who have been through several adversities including living with alcoholic parents and orphanhood (Blevins & Kawata, 2019). These adversities frequently intersect, leaving the child in a complex situation that may be worse (Haverfield & Theiss, 2016). This research will focus on the intersection of these two adversities by exploring experiences of adults who as children lived with alcoholic parents or were orphaned and lived with alcoholic parents / caregivers. Commonly studies focus on risks regarding exposure to these adversities, hence pathologizing the ones at risk (Ungar, 2012).

However, resilience studies show that there are protective factors and resources available for those who face adversities to enable them to adapt to a lesser or greater extent. The study intends to contribute knowledge about resilience among Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACoAs) and Adult Orphaned Children of Alcoholic Caregivers (AOCoACs) in the social and cultural context of Botswana. Therefore, the study intends to develop knowledge base on the impact of the intersection of two adversities: alcoholism and orphanhood on the wellbeing of adults who grew up with these challenges. Further, it will explore with adult children of alcoholics and adult orphaned children of alcoholic caregivers how the availability of resources and support influenced their lives.