Are many nurses products of abusive/drug dependent homes & parents?

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Specializes in Student LPN.

I have heard several times, including in nursing school; that many nurses are products of broken homes, drug dependent/sickly parents, abuse etc. I have not been able to find true statistics online about this topic. I remember a nursing instructor listed a stat as high as 85% of nurses come from drug/sick/abusive homes and parents.

If you are willing to share your own personal story or also have a link to an article that shows data r/t this topic, I would be very interested.

I'll start by saying that growing up my Mom was and still is a very strong habitual marijuana user. Now I know some would argue that pot is not as bad as others or whatever. I'm not trying to start a discussion on that issue. But with my MOM, she had to smoke, all day long, every day. Wake up, smoke, eat, smoke, smoke before work, smoke before she went to bed, road trips etc. And if she wasn't " high" she was quite cranky. She also was abusive to me. Her and my Dad had a rocky relationship the last few years and she took it out on me. Verbally, emotionally, physically, spit in my face...etc. It caused my parents to have even more arguements, including physical, cause my Dad would stick up for me.

On to my father, he also was a substance user, cocaine, early on in the 80's, in fact he went to rehab shortly after I was born for some time. However, I don't recall him ever relapsing or such afterwards. He did however, have cardiac and renal disease (PKD), he had MVP repair and CABG when I was 7, and I remember, he had a very SLOW recovery, and just was always very sickly afterwards. He tried his best to help, try and coach me when I played basketball and in band, but he was physically limited. He ended up on dialysis for 5 years before having a MI at the age of 60.

My family situation made my grow up real fast, I had to help care for two younger siblings, who honestly did not have it like I did. By the time they were my age (teenager), our parents had divorced and did not live together. I would say it affected me the most. But, I do believe it has made me a stronger person and a better mother and nurse. In fact, when I get angry with my child, often I distinctly remember how my Mother would lash out at me, and I am able to recompose myself, something I am proud that I am able to do. Cause I remember how devastated I was when I was younger. Oh course, I do not abuse pot or any other drugs. Which I believe was part of my Mom's issue, along with stress from relantionship with my Dad.

Thank you for reading, I know it is a long post. I just wanted to share my story and I am interested in other's similiar stories. And again, if you have a article or link to such data, Please also post it.

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Specializes in LTC, Hospice, Case Management.

No statistics or data, sorry. Just wanted to say maybe I was one of the lucky ones. I grew up with a Mom and Dad who loved each other, were strict but loving towards us and no one with any addiction issues. I wanted to be a nurse since age 6 - had no influences towards a medical career and am quite certain I didn't even know what a nurse really was - but I never once changed my mind. Some say it is a calling but to me it seemed like an order from above - the reason I was put on this earth. Silly, yes but the only way I know how to describe it. My parents gently tried to talk me out of the career and consider alternatives as I was growing up but they never could. I've been a nurse now since 1986 and they are still my biggest fans. Yep, I was one of the lucky ones.

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Though I am still a nursing student, not a nurse yet, I'm with the previous poster. My parents are still together, they weren't abusive and they didn't do drugs. Also, I am very close with my parents and all of my siblings.

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Not me. My parents were married just shy of 50 yrs before my father died and all I remember from my childhood is being very loved, supported and lots of laughing..which continued until my mother died 3 yrs ago. So, I don't know where the info. is your are being given but it doesn't sound "evidenced based" to me - more like conjecture of someone's opinion.

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I don't think the "broken home" theory means anything.

When we were talking about how grew up at work, I was the weirdo with the gruesome homelife stories... most of which were because I lived in a poor neighborhood with crime-o-plenty.

I just don't see any connection between my background and being a nurse.

Nursing was an accident.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

I saw your posts in addictions.....are you researching for paper or validation for what you were told in school. I had a wonderful upbringing. I love my parents dearly. I miss my Dad everyday :sniff:.

My parents had arguments like everyone else but always made up. It taught me it was of to disagree and I would be loved no matter what. I was always the empathetic soul who wanted to care for and help the other man, woman, child, dog, cat, cockroach, bird, snake....you get the picture.

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I must be one of the lucky ones too.

I see my folks twice a week, and never was there any of that sort of drug/alcohol/abuse drama.

Also, I wonder how those statistics came about, and how long ago the study was done.

If you go far back enough in time to the time of diploma schools were the students performed the majority of the nursing care, paid most of their schooling in service to the hospital, and lived in the nurses' homes, then I could see how a young woman from a non-supportive family would take up training that didn't cost her much, got her away from home and led her to a promising career and independence.

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Specializes in ICU.
No statistics or data, sorry. Just wanted to say maybe I was one of the lucky ones. I grew up with a Mom and Dad who loved each other, were strict but loving towards us and no one with any addiction issues. I wanted to be a nurse since age 6 - had no influences towards a medical career and am quite certain I didn't even know what a nurse really was - but I never once changed my mind. Some say it is a calling but to me it seemed like an order from above - the reason I was put on this earth. Silly, yes but the only way I know how to describe it. My parents gently tried to talk me out of the career and consider alternatives as I was growing up but they never could. I've been a nurse now since 1986 and they are still my biggest fans. Yep, I was one of the lucky ones.

Same here good family life, supportive parents, I had wanted to be a nurse since I was younger. I have heard similar points of view on what the OP was saying that many people become nurses to fix their "crappy life". How true it is, i dont know. Im just thank full I didnt grow up in a bad family.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

Sorry, grew up in a good home, have a good life, guess I'm bucking the trend.

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Specializes in Adult/Ped Emergency and Trauma.

Parents are still married 30 years later, and I was "Slip" baby, Lol. I have an excellent family and I wouldn't trade them for anyone elses. Why are people standing over cowpiles now, and waiting on a flower? Noticing a trend. Is this Walt Disney's fault? If you done the same study on Inmates/Convicts- You might have more weight.;)

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

85% sounds pretty high. I too had a happy childhood with loving parents and siblings that remain close as adults.My parents didn't drink or do drugs.I don't know of any of my nursing friends that came from a tough home life.Are you really sure about your stats?

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Many PEOPLE these days come from broken homes, as the divorce rate exploded in the 1970's and 1980's. It's leveled off since then, but only because many people of lower education and income levels aren't getting married at all (and still creating broken homes). My parents were divorced but neither they nor I had any kind of substance of psychiatric history.

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