Parents as victims of property crime committed by their adult children with drug problems
| Date | 01 September 2018 |
| Published date | 01 September 2018 |
| Author | Torkel Richert,Bengt Svensson,Björn Johnson |
| DOI | 10.1177/0269758018773836 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Parents as victims of property
crime committed by their adult
children with drug problems:
Results from a self-report study
Bjo
¨rn Johnson
Malmo
¨University, Sweden
Torkel Richert
Malmo
¨University, Sweden
Bengt Svensson
Malmo
¨University, Sweden
Abstract
Parents who are subjected to crime by adult children with drug problems have been neglected in
victimological research. We have examined how common it is for parents to fall victim to theft
and burglary committed by their children and how the risk varies depending on the parents’ and
children’s circumstances. A self-report questionnaire on victimisation was distributed to parents
of adult children with drug problems (n¼687). The data were collected by means of a postal
survey sent to members of the Swedish organisation Parents Against Drugs (Fo
¨ra
¨ldrafo
¨reningen
mot narkotika) (n¼411) and through an online questionnaire that was disseminated on social
media and among treatment facilities and other support associations for family members
(n¼276). Half (50.7% ) of the parents decl ared that they had at one point or another been
victims of theft or burglary committed by their children. The level was higher among older
parents, among those whose children had more severe drug problems and among parents of
children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Of the respondents, 9.9% had been
exposed to property crime during the past year. The level was higher among parents of children
who were currently taking drugs, among parents of younger children and among parents whose
children were living at home. Parents of adult children with drug problems run a high risk of being
subjected to property crime by their children. The risk appears to be mostly related to the
children’s drug problems and certain other circumstances pertaining to the children. Further
Corresponding author:
Bjo
¨rn Johnson, Department of Social Work, Malmo
¨University, S-205 06 Malmo
¨, Sweden.
Email: bjorn.johnson@mah.se
International Review of Victimology
2018, Vol. 24(3) 329–346
ªThe Author(s) 2018
Article reuse guidelines:
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DOI: 10.1177/0269758018773836
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research is needed on the extent and nature of this type of crime and about risk prevention for
the parents.
Keywords
Adult children, drug problems, parents, property crime, victimisation survey
Introduction and aims
Family members of persons with drug problems often find themselves in a situation marked by
stress and worry, feelings of shame and guilt, and both mental and physical ill health (Orford et al.,
2013; Richert et al., 2017). A little-discussed facet of this vulnerability is the ris k of family
members being subjected to differen t kinds of crime, such as intimidation, viol ence, theft or
damage, caused by other family members with a drug problem or their friends.
In this article we will discuss parents as victims of property crime committed by adult children
with a drug problem. These parents have previously been neglected as crime victims in research
(Walsh and Krienert, 2007), even though there is much to indicate that they run a high risk of being
exposed to crime or other kinds of offensive behaviour committed by their children.
Discussions with representatives of parents’ associations, individual parents and social work-
ers have helped us to distinguish typical cases of crime perpetrated against parents by adult
children with a drug problem: (a) stealing money or valuables from the home shared by the
parents and the children or from the parents’ home; (b) intimidation or blackmail by the children
to obtain money for drugs or drug-related debts; (c) causing d amage in the context of an
argument between children and parents or when anger flares up; (d) inti midation of parents and
extortion of money and valuables from them by the children’s friends and ‘business associates’;
and (e) child-to-parent violence. The violence can also be reciprocal, for example, when an
argument turns into a scuffle.
The extent and exact makeup of these types of crime is unknown. It is important to obtain
information about the level of the parents’ risk, partly to appreciate the extent of the problem and
partly to be able to take preventive measures and to provide help to the affected parents.
As mentioned above, this article focuses on parents affected by property crime, defined as theft
and burglary. The aim is to study the extent of the problem: how common is it that parents are
victims of theft and burglary committed by their drug-using children? We will examine the
prevalence of both recent cases (over the past year) and the total (lifetime) prevalence. We will
also seek to study the nature of the problem, paying attention to factors pertaining to the parents
(such as gender, age and social situation) and to the children (such as gender, age, type and extent
of the drug problem, and mental ill health). We have also reviewed the parents’ own explanations
for their children’s actions.
The article is based on a self-report study in Sweden among parents of adult children with
drug problems. A hard-copy questionnaire was sent by post to members of the organisation
Parents Against Drugs. In parallel with this we conducted a web-based survey, in which
respondents were recruited through other organisations for family members, treatment centres
and online communities. Based on theories of victimisation, there are strong reasons to
believe that parents of children with drug problems are at increased risk of exposure to
different types of crime. According to routine activity theory (Cohen and Felson, 1979;
Felson, 2002), the risk of being victimised is affected by a person’s routine activities, that
330 International Review of Victimology 24(3)
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