Despite these alarming data, very few studies have focused on preventing alcohol use in vulnerable populations with at least one parent with Alcohol Use Disorders. Parenting support programs have been developed, but to our knowledge, there are no programs in French that target families with Alcohol Use Disorders.~The EQUIPE program is a French adaptation of the Canadian program, Community Parent Education (COPE). It is a psycho-educational intervention program developed́ by C. Cunningham (McMaster University, Hamilton, ON). It is aimed at improving parenting skills. Its format involves a 2 hr/week session and is spread over 10 weeks. During the sessions, using short video vignettes, parents are encouraged to find their own solutions to difficulties in managing their child's behaviour. These solutions are then discussed among parents in the presence of professionals (animators or facilitators). Finally, educational strategies are adopted and practiced in the family setting. This program aims to strengthen the protective factors of children in the face of risky behaviours that they may develop during adolescence, by having parents and children work together on communication, the establishment of warm and positive relationships and their ability to resolve problems and conflicts. This EQUIPE program has been evaluated in Quebec with families experiencing difficulties with children with behavioral problems. At present, in France, no parenting support program is applied to families with addictive behaviors in a broad and evaluated manner. We believe that an early intervention could allow to apprehend future social and mental problems (malaise and depression, school dropout, delinquency...), and limit the risks of intra-family conflicts and thus reduce the negative impact on the potential development of psychological disorders and addictive behaviors in adolescence and adulthood. The implementation of this parenting support program, applied to families suffering from alcohol addictive behaviors and at an early stage with children aged 3-12 years, would seem to be relevant in order to reinforce parenting skills.
Alcohol use disorders are a major public health problem in Europe. The average prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) in the general population is 7.5%, although there are large variations between countries. According to the literature, 20 to 30% of children have parents with problematic alcohol use. Public health authorities are alarmed by the precociousness of alcohol consumption in the youngest age and by the prevalence of alcohol consumption in adolescence. One of the well-established risk factors for alcohol use and abuse is having a parent with AUD. Compared with people growing up without any parent with AUD, the relative risk of suffering negative life events in childhood is 2 to 13 times higher if one or both parents have alcohol use disorders. A family history of Alcohol Use Disorders is predictive of earlier alcohol, tobacco, or cannabis use in adolescence, but it is also associated with a higher risk of developing substance use disorders.