Breaking Night Sparknotes

Breaking night is a biography about a young girl called Liz Murray, who grew up in the Bronx. Her parents are poor, and they are drugs addicts. When her mother boyfriend become cruel to her Due to her mother getting HIV, and family falls apart, at the age of fifteen ends on the streets. While on the streets she lives day by day trying to find food and a place to sleep. Fortunately, she does meet individuals in her life that support and encourage to finish her high school and eventually she gets into Harvard University. This paper will discuss the risk factors and protective factor that Liz experience throughout her childhood.

RISK FACTORS FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Many risk factors threatened Liz wellbeing wither these are her individual, peers, and others in the community. In regards to individual factors, because she did not interaction anyone other than her immediate family, she showed antisocial behaviours. Due to her environment occurred to the many factors that she faced at homes such as her parent's substance abuse, unstable home life, the absence of good parenting, mother mental illness and economic distress with the family. As a result of the stressful family life, when her mother tells her that

she got HIV, she emotional disengage herself from her family, this leads to her ending up on the streets. Liz may be lead to use this strategy to deal with her every circumstance, with is not helpful in dealing with other situation in life. Also Due to her parent's neglectful behaviour, she learns at an early age to care for herself. In additions, she has a strong will to want something better for herself. Liz has been left emotionally scarred due to her parent's neglectful behaviour
According to Burns et al. children with a parent that substance abuse has a higher chance of developing anxiety, depression and have lower rates of self-esteem and social competence.
Liz comes from a small family, her parents are Jean and Peter, and older sister is Lisa. Both parents come from a family who was abusive and uses drugs and alcohol. They are both unemployed; they live off welfare check which receives at the beginning of the month. Once he is used up, they have no other means of income. Her mother Jean comes from a family of long history of mental illness and later in the book she develops schizophrenia. She becomes dependent on drugs to deal with her problems, this after meeting Peter, who supplies these to her. Both parents commit child maltreatment to their two children. Because of the addiction, she does whatever it takes to get high and jeopardies the wellbeing of her children. An example in the book of this is when she steals money from her children to buy drugs. Also, she also would disappear for many days leaving her children alone. Jean would leave Liz and Lisa would go hungry for several days. For the most part her mental health hits, it is Liz who left to take of her. At times she does show love to her children, but this interrupted by her drug reliance. Also, when gets a nervous breakdown, it is Liz forced to take of her. On the other hand Liz father Peter is an intelligent man. He did come from a wealthy family as then did Jean did. He was able to go to University to pursue Social work. However, due to Peter childhood abuse decides to sell drugs which better to make more money. Eventually, he did a dealer who was very successful, which land him in prison. Like Jeans, he becomes dependent on drugs. When parents are addicted to drugs, everyone in the immediate family is affected by this. When Peter is in prison, Jean can support herself and her children, taking responsibility for them. However, when he returns, he becomes more neglectful and starts doing drugs again. Due to Peter behaviour, he enables Jeans to use drugs. Liz grows up with her parents doing drugs which have become normative for her. The parents modelling of substance abuse is dangerous, due to significant influence that they have on the child, but making this substance available for children to reach. Hence, growing up as a child Liz has to fend for herself because her parent neglected her and older her sister. In the book, she often she can stand her family due to the mistreatment her family has inflicted on her especially her parents in additional, Liz has a hard time trusting anyone in her life since her mother promise too many to stop doing drugs but never did follow through. Although she was clean with a short period and returned to her habits. Besides substance abusing, parents are more likely to be less responsive to their child and show less warmth (Burns et al.)
Just as a family has a significant impact on altering a child's well being so do does that environment.

Due to the low socio-economic status, Liz resides in poor arrears, which also meant resources such as good schools, and safe recreation for playing. Liz grows up only being surrounded by her immediate family, but when she started middle school she makes a friend Sam. she is energetic, and ambitions and both of them are thinking of leaving travelling. However, like Liz, Sam also come from abuse family and often she wears a mask. The two of them spend much time together on streets and become. Liz hung around deviant peers groups which included Sam, and other peers resulted in were terrible influences because she was the reason that Liz was skipping school for the

most

In term of school, she has in Liz has a low commitment to, as she does not see the importance of is. Liz got taken away a couple of times by child welfare services due to horrid living children and her parents who are not able to prioritize their children. Often time social worker was asked why she missed school would ask the school. One of the reasons for this
Liz does not attend school other children bully her because due to her uncleanness dirty. For this reason, he is antisocial as she does not know why to be social with other. For this reason, she hates school. Teachers at schools do not seem to care about her, so she sees no reason to attend. However, child welfare service falls to notice that because the stress at home and her being hungry, she is unable to concentrate in school. Also, she spends a great deal of time taking responsibility for taking care of her mother every she gets a nervous breakdown. In additions, when child welfare workers visit her she and her parents do not treat her like a human being. This same treatment is shown to Liz by the doctors that she meets when she is in child services. For instance is when she tells the doctors what he wants to here, so she can leave sooner and get back with her family.
There were no policies in place to support there were no support help families that were in a situation like Liz was. After been take away to child services, the living situation has not changed, and she returned to the same environment the policies did not help get out of the situation. Liz looks back when she left her when she fell ill and feels guilt she comes home.

PROTECTIVE FACTORS OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Protective factors that allowed Liz to survive her situation is her mastery in The fact that she was knowledgeable and her willpower and this built her confidence, and she was able to achieve what she put her mind to it. Also, she has an easy time adapting to the situation. By doing well in her academics this gives Liz a sense of confidence, building her self-esteem. She can make friends, and she is quite good at it with these friends surrounding her, she able to get different viewpoints from them.

Liz does develop a supportive relationship with family members. Although she did not have many friends, she did spend much time with her sisters which is suitable for development. Later in the book Liz and her sister are not that closed they do develop a good relationship after the death of their mother. An example, when Liz and Lisa move into a bedroom apartment, when Liz when Liz was still in high school, she was paying the bills why she finishes up school.

Liz has many peers that she encounters. For instance, Paige convinces her to go back and finish high school, once she sees the opportunity to have better future this pushes her to complete university. She meets kids her age who were in the same situation as her. Others as well who were in the same boat as well. Protective factors concerning the community would be the accessing services available to her; when she did start high school, she had no means of supporting herself. So she relies on The Door, which is a non-charitable organization in the meantime. Liz did have the intent of eventually become financially independent. Another factor would be her having healthy peer groups, and she can create a new family and old ones as well as well meeting individuals have common interests. They to encourage to keep aiming for her dreams since they share the same aspiration.

Even though Liz hates school because she never really fit, she did exceptionally well once she put the effort. A talented person who played a considerable role in Liz life is Perry who gave a chance to return to school. Perry who teaches at the Humanities preparatory school is responsible for encourages her as opposed to other teachers she had. With Perry help and her motivates her to work hard, which get her into Harvard University. Protectives factors in the school setting include are her school engagement, which she learns about a sexually transmitted disease that killed her mothers. In additions learn about importance being sexually independent and put herself first. By obtaining knowledge about the disease, she takes care of her body more. Another protective factor is presences of supportive teachers which she comes to love. The teachers offer her help and are encouraging her always to succeed.

Liz can overcome the adversity of her childhood given the environment she grew up . with the support of her friends and family she can obtain her dreams.
In conclusion, Liz went the through many hardships due to substance abuse which often left the family chaotic. Due to the not so great situation at home, she leaves the streets and spends a great deal of time relying her on friends to help meet her basic needs such as food and shelter. Along the way, she does meet good peers who lead her in the right direction, and she learns the importance is of having an education, and it can change her situation.