Families parenting adolescents with substance abuse--recovering the mother's voice: a narrative literature review

'Before, we ended up in conflicts, now we can provide support'-Experiences of Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) for parents of young adults with hazardous substance use

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of hazardous substance use is highest in the age between 18 and 25, but few young adults enter treatment. Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) is a support program for concerned significant others (CSOs) of individuals with diverse substance use disorders and is proven efficacious in promoting treatment entry. The aim of the current study was to investigate the experiences of CRAFT among parents of substance using young adults.

METHODS

We used a qualitative design conducting semi-structured interviews with 10 parents of young adults (18-24 years) with hazardous substance use. The participants were recruited from a randomized controlled trial of the CRAFT program. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

We divided the results into three overall domains-Reasons for entering the CRAFT program, Strengths of the CRAFT program and Limitations of the CRAFT program - with three to four themes under each domain. The parents appreciated the accessible support at a time when they needed it due to feelings of shock and powerlessness, and they described communication strategies together with positive reinforcement as the two most helpful CRAFT-sessions. Regarding limitations of CRAFT in the current population, the parents wanted more accessible support for the young adults when they were ready to enter treatment, and described difficulties to practice CRAFT-components due to changing life-circumstances and fear of aggravated health for their young adults.

CONCLUSION

The results provide arguments for the health care system to implement support programs to parents of young adults with hazardous substance use. The results show that CRAFT is suitable for the current population, but with some possible additions due to changing circumstances that are common in the young adult developmental phase emerging adulthood.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial was pre-registered at isrctn.com, reference number ISRCTN12212515 date: November 7, 2018.

Predictors of Stigma, Guilt, and Shame among Adults Bereaved by Fatal Overdose

With the spectacular rise of US overdose deaths, bereavement for these affected families has become a matter of increasing concern. Qualitative research has highlighted the role of stigmatization as well as guilt and shame among this population. However, the magnitude and pre-death predictors of stigmatization, guilt, and shame have yet to be assessed quantitatively. In the current study, we assess the magnitude of stigmatization, guilt, and shame among 115 adults bereaved by overdose by drawing comparisons with 185 adults bereaved by suicide. Results revealed no significant differences regarding overall levels of stigmatization, guilt, and shame between the overdose and suicide bereaved. Among the overdose bereaved, regression models indicated a number of pre-death factors associated with stigmatization, guilt, and shame, such as the frequency of the decedent's drug use, family drug use severity, and interpersonal conflict between the bereaved and the decedent. Implications and future directions for research are discussed.

Affected family members social support experiences when assisting an individual with substance use disorder

INTRODUCTION

Social support is a factor in the health and well-being of all populations (WHO, 2018). Having a loved one with substance use disorder (SUD) negatively affects family members. Affected Family Members (AFM) providing support for individual with substance use disorder (ISUD) are at risk of losing their social support network. Losing social support negatively influences AFMs health and well-being.

DESIGN

As part of a larger mixed methods study, the researchers used qualitative inquiry to explore the experiences and perceptions of social support of the AFM of an ISUD.

METHODS

The thematic framework of social support was applied to this qualitative study to identify the conceptual determinants of the perceptions and experiences of the AFM and the development of emergent themes. Participants completed an anonymous electronic survey that included Open-ended questions. A total of 101 participants completed the open-ended questions with 1088 narrative responses received. The utilization of an audit trail, reflexive journal, and in-depth thematic analysis conducted by the researchers has ensured the rigor of the study.

RESULTS

Three themes emerged from the AFMs perspective: (1) We are all alone, and we have to fend for ourselves, (2) No one understands what we are going through and (3) People cannot relate and recoil from us.

CONCLUSION

Identification of the specific needs of the AFM was crucial, and the first step in designing programs in future research to provide social support for ensuring the health and well-being of the AFM.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Nurses need to provide family-centred care to ISUD, including their AFMs, in order for the ISUD to continue to receive support to facilitate their recovery. This research highlights ways in which the nurse caring for the ISUD can provide supportive interventions for the AFMs.

Mothers Caring for Adult Children With Substance Use Disorder: Understanding Lived Experience

BACKGROUND

Most persons with substance use disorder (SUD) live in family settings. In the absence of adequate mental health services, mothers are often called upon to provide care for their adult children with SUD. Despite positive outcomes such as decreased rates of hospitalization associated with family involvement, mothers are often stigmatized within the health care systems as contributors to trauma and/or family dysfunction.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to explore mothers' lived experience of caring for adult children with SUD.

METHOD

Guided by critical feminist theory, this study used interpretive descriptive qualitative research design to identify patterns within mothers' experiences for practical relevance and application to service provision.

RESULTS

The findings yielded in this study identified mothers' experiences as: longing for wellness, identity as loving mother, loss, anticipatory grief, shame and blame and feeling excluded from services. Ultimately, the findings from this study extend the limited research to date on mothers' experiences of stigma, especially when they are blamed for their child's illness.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study advocate for family-centered approaches that attend to mothers' unique experience, from their standpoint, and offer recommendations for change to service provision.

From parenting skills to adolescent treatment needs: Questions elicited by parents of adolescents discharged from residential treatment

Background

Despite the utility of parent involvement in continuing care following adolescent residential treatment, parent engagement in traditional office-based treatment is low. In our prior work, we found that parents who had access to a continuing care forum directed questions to a clinical expert and to other parents around five topics: parenting skills; parent support; managing the post-discharge transition; adolescent substance use; family functioning. The current qualitative study elicited questions from parents without access to a continuing care support forum to explore overlapping and new themes.

Methods

This study was embedded within the pilot trial of a technology-assisted intervention for parents of adolescents in residential treatment for substance use. Thirty-one parents randomized to residential treatment as usual were asked two prompts at follow-up assessments: what questions they would like to ask a clinical expert and what questions they would like to ask other parents of adolescents discharged from residential care. Thematic analysis identified major themes and subthemes.

Results

Twenty-nine parents generated 208 questions. Analyses revealed three themes identified in prior work: parenting skills; parent support; adolescent substance use. Three new themes emerged: adolescent mental health; treatment needs; socialization.

Conclusions

The current study identified several distinct needs among parents who did not receive access to a continuing care support forum. Needs identified in this study can inform resources to support parents of adolescents during the post-discharge period. Parents may benefit from convenient access to an experienced clinician for advice on skills and adolescent symptoms, paired with access to parental peer support.

"Every time the phone rings, my heart stops": Mothers' emotional responses to having a young adult child with a substance use disorder

When a young adult develops a substance use disorder (SUD), a parent often assumes a caregiving role, and experiences burdens associated with this off-time life event (Kaur et al., 2018). Mothers and children reciprocally influence one another's emotional processes, impacting proximal process (Bronfenbrenner & Evans, 2000; Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 1998). The study purpose was to develop a theory of mothers' experiences of having a young adult child with a SUD. We conducted 14 semi-structured interviews with mothers who sought support from an online forum for parents of individuals with a SUD. We analyzed responses using Strauss and Corbin's (1990) grounded theory and identified three core categories that focused on participants' shift from approaching their child from a stance of anxiety and attempts to control their substance use, to anger, and, finally, acceptance of their loved one's autonomy. Findings imply the importance of mothers' treatment involvement, and specialized services for mothers.

The Ambiguity of Parenting Adult Children With Substance Use Disorder

Background. Substance Use Disorder can impede parent-child relationships. The Theory of Ambiguous Loss provides a structure for occupational therapy practitioners in developing interventions to support the parent-child relationship. Purpose. This study explores the roles of parents of adult children diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder in the context of the Theory of Ambiguous Loss. Method. Volunteer participants were recruited from three urban parental support groups. Inclusion criteria were involved in a support group and having an adult child diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder. Eight mothers and one father participated in semi-structured interviews using a phenomenological approach. Themes and structural descriptions were developed. Findings. Five themes were identified: hopeful coping, occupational interference, changes in social constructs and participation, burdenful caregiving and receiving, and blending of occupations. Themes offer intervention considerations for occupational therapy. Implications. Research provides additional conceptual consideration to build occupation-centered interventions for parents and their adult children in Substance Use Disorder recovery.

Psychological experiences of caregivers of adolescents diagnosed with substance use disorder attending a youth centre in a low-resource setting

Caregivers, whether a biological parent, adoptive parent, or a relative such as a grandparent, of adolescent with substance use disorder (SUD) undergo immense psychological and social strains, as they have to deal with substance habituated issues arising from their adolescent child. Caregivers often encounter many untold experiences while parenting adolescents on substance use. However, there is limited documentation of such experiences. A remarkable proportion of research has focused on adolescent substance use and the experiences of adolescents, whereas little attention has been paid to caregivers. This study explored the psychological experiences of caregivers of adolescents diagnosed with SUD. This was a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with 18 caregivers of adolescents with SUD conducted at a Youth Centre located in a national referral hospital and focused on the caregivers' psychological experiences. Data collected through in-depth interviews were transcribed and thematically coded. Recurrent themes were analysed and reported. The study identified several themes in the experiences of caregivers of adolescents with SUDs. The main psychological experience was stress, whereas lasting psychological effects as well as difficult social outcomes as a result of substance use by the adolescent child were also identified. This study revealed the complex landscape of psychological turmoil that the caregivers have to navigate while caring for an adolescent diagnosed with SUD.

Stress-adaptation among Family of Adolescent with Substance Misuse: Systematic Literature Review

BACKGROUND: Families of an adolescent with substance use disorders report significant burden and stress. Adequate coping strategies can modify the impact of stressful situations and increase family function. AIM: The aim of the study was to systematically review the literature related to the coping strategies and adaptations used by family members of the adolescent with substance use disorders to manage their stress. METHODS: We conducted electronic searches using MEDLINE (PubMed), EBSCO, databases to select studies on family stress, and coping strategies that were published from January 2000 to December 2020. The search terms were family, parent, father, mother, coping, caregiver, strategy, adaptation, adolescent, and substance use disorders. RESULTS: We found 961 articles. After application of exclusion criteria and exclusion of redundant references, ten articles were thematically analyzed. The studies were organized into five categories: Engaged, tolerance, withdrawal, problem-focused, and emotion-focused coping strategies. The family members felt devastated by the incidents of violence and aggressive outbursts, and felt they failed as parents. As a result, the parents felt very isolated from other family members and friends, and ashamed of their children’s behavior. Most families used problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies in different combinations. CONCLUSION: The identified studies show that the use of emotional focus coping is the coping strategy most often done by families. Problem focus coping involved family efforts to find sources of information and seek treatment services as a mechanism for adaptive coping strategy. However, a mixed methods study is still needed that clearly illustrates the types of coping strategies used in various cultural perspectives and social status.

Stress Adaptation Among Family of Adolescent with Substance Use Disorders: Systematic Literature Review

BACKGROUND: Families of an adolescent with substance use disorders report significant burden and stress. Adequate coping strategies can modify the impact of stressful situations and increase family function. AIM: The objective of the study was to systematically review literature related to the coping strategies and adaptations used by family members of the adolescent with substance use disorders to manage their stress. METHODS: We conducted electronic searches using MEDLINE (PubMed), EBSCO, databases to select studies on family stress, and coping strategies that were published from January 2000 to December 2020. The search terms were family, parent, father, mother, coping, caregiver, strategy, adaptation, adolescent, and substance use disorders. RESULTS: We found 961 articles. After application of exclusion criteria and exclusion of redundant references, 10 articles were thematically analyzed. The studies were organized into five categories: Engaged, tolerance, withdrawal, problem-focused, and emotion-focused coping strategies. The family members felt devastated by the incidents of violence and aggressive outbursts, and felt that they failed as parents. As a result, the parents felt very isolated from other family members and friends, and ashamed of their children’s behavior. Most families used problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies in different combinations. CONCLUSION: The identified studies show that the use of emotional focus coping is the coping strategy most often done by families. Problem focus coping involved family efforts to find sources of information and seek treatment services as a mechanism for adaptive coping strategy. However, a mixed methods study is still needed that clearly illustrates the types of coping strategies used in various cultural perspectives and social status.

Psychosocial Needs of the Parents With Teenagers on Drugs: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

Dependence on drugs causes several problems for the individual, family, and society. Such problems are more evident in teenagers and deeply affect the parents. Perceiving these parents' problems and needs is a way to help them with such problems and enable them to provide more support to their children. This study is an attempt to elaborate on the psychological needs of the parents with adolescents who use drugs.

METHODS

The participants were 19 parents with an adolescent with drug use disorder who were selected purposefully. In-depth and semistructured interviews were conducted face-to-face with the participants. All the interviews were recorded and analyzed by conventional content analysis. Guba and Lincoln's four measures of trustworthiness were observed throughout the study.

RESULTS

Analyses of the interviews revealed three themes, seven categories, and 17 subcategories. The themes were receiving support, need for self-confidence, and need for welfare.

CONCLUSION

For different reasons, parents of adolescents who use drugs find it incumbent upon themselves to support and treat their adolescents. Given the many problems, these parents need a variety of social, educational, emotional, interpersonal, and financial supports.

Mental and physical health in family members of substance users: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Due to the high pressure they sustain, family members of substance users are thought to experience negative consequences in mental and physical health. This scoping review provided a comprehensive overview on the mental and physical health of adult Affected Family Members (AFMs).

METHOD

We searched in-journal English articles in PubMed, with no date limit, guided by the concepts of stress, strain, and burden, and including several terms related to substance use. Eligibility criteria included focus on adult AFMs, mental and physical health, and clinical forms of substance use.

RESULTS

PubMed search identified 3549 articles, with 46 additional papers from other sources. Fifty-six articles were included, quantitative (N = 39), qualitative (N = 15) and both (N = 2). Quantitative findings show that AFMs are subject to increased stress and burden, and impaired mental health. Variable rates of physical problems emerge, with some medical conditions being more common among AFMs of substance users versus controls. Finally, evidence shows increased risk for aggression and reduced quality of life and social adjustment. AFMs report higher stress and strain if they are women, in low socio-economic families, and co-habiting with more severe substance users. Qualitative studies additionally suggest that stigma, self-blame, and social isolation are common.

CONCLUSIONS

AFMs of substance users represent a population at higher risk for negative health-related outcomes and should be systematically regarded as targets for treatment.

Experiences of parents with an adolescent abusing substances admitted to a mental health institution in Giyani, South Africa

BACKGROUND

Substance abuse by adolescents may be a problem that contributes to their mental illness. Substance abuse does affect not only the individual who is abusing it but also friends, family and the whole community. The adolescent abusing substances may be mentally unstable and have unpredictable behaviour. There is no research on the experiences of parents with adolescents abusing substances in Giyani, South Africa.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of parents with adolescents abusing substances admitted to a mental health institution in Giyani.

METHOD

A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used. Data were collected by means of conducting individual, in-depth, phenomenological interviews, observations and field notes. The following central question was asked to the participants: 'How is it for you to have an adolescent who is abusing substances'. Data were analysed by using a thematic method of coding. An independent coder analysed data together with the researcher, and consensus was reached.

RESULTS

Four themes emerged from the data: parents experienced uncontrolled thoughts regarding their adolescent abusing substances, not being able to control their adolescent abusing substances through discipline, negative feelings regarding their adolescent abusing substances and negative consequences regarding their adolescents abusing substances.

CONCLUSION

From the study result, it is clear that parents with adolescent abusing substances need professional assistance and support as evidenced by the challenges faced in terms of promoting, maintaining and restoring their mental health. Psychiatric nurses should take responsibility to educate the community about substance abuse, for example offering school health programmes. Further research studies can also be conducted in other villages to gain a greater understanding of those parents' experiences with an adolescent abusing substances.

Domestic violence and risk of internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescents living with relatives displaying substance use disorders

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate the association between exposure to domestic violence and increased risk of internalizing and externalizing problems and substance use among adolescents living with relatives with substance use disorder (SUD) at a low-income community of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 102 adolescents aged 12-17 years (M = 14.2, SD = 1.7) who were living with relatives suffering from SUD. Outcomes were measured using the Youth Self-Report (YSR), psychosocial stress factors questionnaire, Drug Use Screening Inventory (DUSI) and Phrase Inventory of Intrafamily Child Abuse (PIICA). Results The sample presented high prevalence of emotional/behavioral problems with YSR’s scores in the clinical range for Internalizing Problems (24.5%), Externalizing Problems (21.6%), and Total Problems (26.5%). The presence of mental health problems predicted substance use (PR = 2.22; 95% CI = 1.2-4.13), and substance use predicted increased risk of mental health problems. Alcohol use predicted more than double the risk of emotional/behavioral problems (PR = 2.01; 95% CI = 1.08-3.76), while illicit drug use was associated with an almost threefold increase in the prevalence of Internalizing (PR = 2.87; 95% CI = 1.19-6.89) and Externalizing Problems (PR = 3.3; 95% CI = 1.35-8.04). Conclusion Adolescents of relatives with SUD are at risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems. These findings reinforce the need to develop public mental health policies, which include protective interventions to adolescents living in families affected by substance use disorders.

The physical and psychological wellbeing of caregivers of individuals suffering from substance addiction

OBJECTIVE

This paper seeks to examine the physical and psychological wellbeing of caregivers of individuals suffering from substance addiction.

METHOD

To obtain knowledge of the needs of caregivers of substance addicted individuals and investigating their wellbeing, this paper presents a systematic literature review. Both electronic and manual searches were done on EBSCO host, eBooks collection, Academic search complete, CINAHL Plus, Health source (academic, nursing and consumer edition), Medline, Masterfile, PsycARTICLES and Google Scholar. Books relevant to the topic searched were also used.

RESULTS

The results gave an overview of needs and wellbeing issues concerning the caregivers of individuals suffering from substance addiction and what can be implemented to address their wellbeing such as confidence, maintenance of relationships, engaging with the world, being productive and coping with stress.

CONCLUSIONS

This review indicated that future research should aim to ensure the psychological and physical wellbeing of caregivers of individuals addicted to substances as these individuals' experiences and perspectives are almost always neglected. Avenues for avoidance and early intervention of deterioration of wellbeing of these individuals should be explored.

A pilot of a mindfulness based stress reduction intervention for female caregivers of youth who are experiencing substance use disorders

Families play a critical role in supporting adolescents with substance use disorders. Little research has been done to investigate interventions targeting the significant stress of caring for an adolescent with problematic substance use and its subsequent impact on self-compassion in families. The aim of this pilot study was to trial an 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program as a post treatment aftercare intervention among female caregivers of youth with substance use disorders. Forty-three female caregivers were recruited and randomly assigned to either a treatment (n = 21) or a waitlist control group (n = 22). Participants completed surveys pre/post-intervention to assess perceived stress and self-compassion. Qualitative interviews at post-intervention were designed to explore participants' perceptions and experiences of the MBSR program. Five main themes captured the participants' experience: improved self-compassion, increased capacity to manage stress, enhanced interpersonal effectiveness, improved overall physical wellness, and benefits of attending the program with women who have shared experience. Overall, this pilot MBSR program was found to significantly enhance the participants' sense of well-being through reducing their perceived stress and increasing self-compassion. These findings show promise that MBSR may be an effective intervention for caregivers of youth with substance use disorders.

Characteristics of Brazilian women affected by a substance misusing relative

As in many other health disorders, people who misuse substances tend to be assisted by female caregivers. Despite this, little is known about the characteristics of women affected by a substance misusing relative (SMR). Data from 2541 Brazilian female affected family members (AFM) were analyzed. The majority of participants were mothers, age 45 or above, in a relationship, responsible for the substance use treatment of the SMR, and were related to a male SMR. High levels of physical and psychological symptoms were associated with socioeconomic status, mothers, responsibility for the SMR's treatment, cocaine and crack-cocaine as substance of the preference of the SMR, and financial contraints as reasons for the delay to seeking help. Findings demonstrate the complex social systems associated with female AFMs and the need of gender sensitive approaches to address the AFM's coping responses to the substance misuse problem in the family.

'It was riotous behaviour!': Mothers' experiences of adolescents' conduct while abusing drugs

The impact of adolescent substance abuse is widespread and significantly compromises the psychosocial well-being of those closest to the adolescent. This is evidentially so for parents who are required to cope with the adolescent's misconduct. Using an interpretative phenomenological methodology, this article describes mothers' experiences of living with an adolescent who is dependent on drugs. Specifically, the article explores the mothers' accounts of the pernicious behaviours that the adolescents engage(d) in during their drug abuse period. Qualitative 1:1 interviews revealed two common forms of adolescent misconduct that the mothers had to contend with which were 'belligerent attitudes and conducts' and 'pilfering behaviours'. The mothers further reported that the adolescents' behaviours negatively impacted on the mother-adolescent relationship, producing feelings of mistrust and a lack of trust. The findings contribute to the sparse literature on parents' experiences and thus hold implications for research and practice. Understanding the challenges that mothers contend with when adolescents engage in problematic drug use is important for the development of support interventions to help parents cope effectively. Further implications are presented in the article.

Economic and sociocultural poverty in drug abuse: from individual to sociopolitical responsibility

Abstract Research on drug abuse has often ignored users’ own opinions and perceptions about their addiction. In this study, we wanted to hear their voice on the reasons and motives why they engaged in drug abuse, and on the consequences this behavior had on their lives. Data were collected in Portugal from interviews with fifteen people under treatment for addictive behavior relative to alcohol and illegal drugs. The interviews were analyzed through Thematic Analysis and revealed the existence of several structural factors impacting on the lives of the participants, namely, gender discrimination, poor schooling, socioeconomic marginalization and exclusion associated to insufficient and inadequate public policies. The action of more symbolic structural factors - for instance, their widespread beliefs on drug addiction as a result of free will - through its internalization by families, friends and by addicts themselves, became visible in interviewees’ narratives, in which the rejection by close ones, as well as their own feelings of guilt, sadness and self-disapproval, are prominent features. As a conclusion, we call attention to the need for an integrated public policy in the educational, health and justice areas, and the implementation of awareness-raising actions aimed at the general public, in order to attenuate the impact of structural factors on the lives of current and potential drug addicts.

Mothers' Experiences of Supporting Adolescent Children Through Long-Term Treatment for Substance Use Disorder

Substance use disorder is a complex phenomenon that affects people in many different contexts. Adolescent substance abuse within families is a particular problem that merits ongoing study. In particular, the experiences of mothers in this context are not fully explored. In this narrative inquiry study, we explored the experiences of four mothers parenting children through long-term substance abuse treatment. Participants were recruited from a family-orientated long-term adolescent treatment center in Alberta, Canada. The mothers' experiences were explored within a three-dimensional narrative inquiry space of temporal, social, and situated experience. Four narrative accounts were co-composed, revealing personal, familial, social, and substance abuse-related complexities in mothers' experiences. Four narrative threads were also theorized: navigating complexities; loud silences; places, spaces, and the in-between; and living within one another's stories. These narrative threads are discussed in relation to health and social care practices. Recommendations for practice and research are made.

Mothers' experiences of coping with adolescent substance abuse: a phenomenological inquiry

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM

Adolescent substance abuse significantly impacts on the lives of mothers. This paper explores the coping responses of mothers whose adolescents have been admitted to treatment for substance abuse.

DESIGN AND METHOD

A multiple case study design was adopted and the data were collected through one-on-one interviews facilitated by the Lifegrid. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to interrogate the data.

RESULTS

Coping emerged as a complex construct in our analysis. The mothers' used problem-focused and emotion-focused coping in different combinations of withdrawing, tolerating and engaged coping responses. The mothers' coping responses were also influenced by individual and relational factors like subjective distress and the mother-adolescent relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

We argue that research and practice initiatives should consider using a multidimensional perspective of parental coping that recognises the heterogeneity of mothers' coping responses. Impact statement: The current paper offers new insights into the complexities of mothers' coping responses to adolescent substance abuse.

Use of crystal methamphetamine among male adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa: Caregivers' experiences

Background

Against the background that crystal methamphetamine (colloquially known as “tik”) is extensively used by the emerging working class Coloured youth in Cape Town, South Africa, this exploratory qualitative study was conducted to explore the experience of mothers whose children use methamphetamine.

Methods

The researchers conducted one-to-one semi-structured in-depth interviews with sixteen (16) purposively selected caregivers (mothers) whose sons use methamphetamine. Interviews were recorded and simultaneously translated and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes related to the experiences of caregivers of youth with methamphetamine problems.

Results

Findings showed that youth misbehaviour provided a context that led to feelings of shame and embarrassment. Participants also experienced personal challenges which included emotional problems, fear and self-blame. Participants also expressed family disruptions and financial drain as adverse experiences as a results of their sons’ misbehaviour.

Conclusion

The study results highlight the psychosocial challenges for caregivers of children who use methamphetamine. These findings underscore the need for effort to be directed at the development of formal support interventions for mothers of youth who are troubled with addiction.

Adolescent Alcoholism and Drug Addiction: The Experience of Parents

Alcoholism and drug addiction have marked impacts on the ability of families to function. Much of the literature has been focused on adult members of a family who present with substance dependency. There is limited research into the effects of adolescent substance dependence on parenting and family functioning; little attention has been paid to the parents' experience. This qualitative study looks at the parental perspective as they attempted to adapt and cope with substance dependency in their teenage children. The research looks into family life and adds to family functioning knowledge when the identified client is a youth as opposed to an adult family member. Thirty-one adult caregivers of 21 teenagers were interviewed, resulting in eight significant themes: (1) finding out about the substance dependence problem; (2) experiences as the problems escalated; (3) looking for explanations other than substance dependence; (4) connecting to the parent's own history; (5) trying to cope; (6) challenges of getting help; (7) impact on siblings; and (8) choosing long-term rehabilitation. Implications of this research for clinical practice are discussed.