I have a question and PLEASE dont anybody blast me for typecasting, this was not MY statement, it was a LCSW I was friends with. She claims that a huge % of nurses are first born females of alcoholic fathers. Something to do with the fact that as the first born in dysfunction family of origin you are a caregiver from the get-go. Now my father was not an alcoholic, but I am a first born. I was wondering how many of us are first-borns. (Also, she said this to me a long time ago, and I have lost touch with her, so I cannot ask her where the heck she got her information was) I was just starting school at the time and didnt really fight with her about it, just kind of gave her one of the Hmmm, thats an interesting opinion.... answers. Also, she meant it as a compliment, that we take a difficult beginning and build on our strengths and turn them into a career.
I'm the last of 6 kids and the caregiver of the family. Oldest sister is also female and doing better than all of us, but she does not give a s...t about anybody in the family. Four generation family tree shows no etoh history.
I am first born of five, although no ETOH issues in home. I'm the only RN, although Mom is LPN - 2nd daughter some emotional abuse at home (no ETOH)
In the context of our psych class, an informal poll showed the statement referred to by the OP to have some merit. (Although not a hard and fast rule as shown by the varied responses here...)
I'm a first child born to womanizer-workaholic father and foodaholic mother with undiagnosed psych grandmother (moms mom) was deprssive that tried to commit suicide (thankfuly she didn't succeed) greatgrandmother was scizophrneic. On the other hand my fathers father was womanizer-alcoholic died @ 41 of heart attack and all of my moms family are addicted to rx drugs great uncle drug abuser died of cirrhosis...I'm older by 14 and 16 years than my little sisters always was moms best friend we always joke that i was her mother in our last lives.. Goes deeper my 1st husband was an alcoholic/workaholic/womanizer.. current bf alcoholic undiagnosed..It's almost like we nurses unknowingly no generalizations tend to be codependent the need to be needed and fix the unfixable at times...very interesting.i don't drink and am a go getter. they had some study on good morning america some study about the power of birth order maybe that combo of 1st born and dysfunctional family pulls us to this field i guess that's why sometimes we nurse have difficulty dealing with drug seeking or alcoholic Pt's something about looking in the mirror not being able to cope with the image looking back... always felt bad for ex grew up having to get mom from the local bar when he was nine large string of different stepdads that would beat his mom very sad..current bf dad and bro have dui's and are self admitted alcoholics
happydays352
165 Posts
First born, mom is RN she's the third born but her sister died after one week so she grew up as a second child
.