The family and drug misuse: a bibliography

Peer vs. parental influence in substance use among hispanic and Anglo children and adolescents

The relative influence of peer and parental influence on youths' use of alcohol and other drugs is explored among 446 Anglo and Hispanic youths, ages 9-17. Current users and abstainers are similar in age and gender. Among both groups, parental influence is more profound than that of peers. However, substance users, compared to abstainers, are more influenced by peers. Level of marijuana use by youths' friends is the most reliable predictor of drug use. Youths having viable relationships with parents are less involved with drugs and less influenced by drug-oriented peers.

Family issues in working with chemically dependent adolescents

The authors review research describing family dynamics in adolescent chemical abuse and dependency. Family systems theory is outlined, suggesting that family members, parents in particular, be included in accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. The pediatrician is viewed as having a relationship of trust with parents, being in a unique position to provide counsel, direction, and referral. Specific treatment strategies are recommended and illustrated with case studies.

Children of substance abusers: a review of the literature

The proportion of women in substance abuse treatment programs or in need of substance abuse treatment has been increasing. Concern with female substance abusers has led to increased attention on identifying the problems and needs of children of substance abusers, particularly on neonates. This literature review summarizes the contents of the research on children of substance abusers (COSAs) available through 1985. Areas requiring further research and methodological problems in the research are identified. The literature has been organized into several areas: estimates of the numbers of COSAs, and research on pregnant addicts, neonates, infants, older children, and parenting issues.

Adolescent Drug Use and the Family Environment: A Review

A broad based review was done which is not restricted to any particular drug or class of drugs, nor to any particular aspect of family interaction. The review attempts to identify the general family interactional and drug variables which potentially underly adolescent drug use. Of particular importance theoretically has been the development of homeostatic models, which depart from previous linear “cause and effect” models. Suggested variables for further assessment in regard to their relationship to adolescent drug use include birth order, family size, and family makeup (intactness) especially in regard to when parents divorced. Less research has been done on couple variables as opposed to family origin variables. Family dynamics hold much promise for study. Variables such as parental roles and parent-child relationships especially in terms of distance regulation and overinvolvement call for further study. Although these variables have been studied, numerous methodological problems often exist when they have been incorporated into studies.

Families and drugs: a life-span research approach

The literature linking family-related drug abuse research and a life-span perspective is reviewed. Data are presented suggesting that drug abuse may be a problem at any point in the life-span and that the family is a natural laboratory for research dealing with this problem. Three subsets of the family/drug abuse literature relevant to a life-span perspective--Systems, Intergenerational, and Life-Cycle Studies--are identified and major studies within each briefly reviewed. Finally, in order to make a first step toward the integration of a life-span orientation with more traditional drug abuse research approaches, an extensive list of content-related and methodological research questions is suggested.

Conventional wisdom about familial contributions to substance abuse

Conventional social-science wisdom about the family background of substance abusers breaks down into three hypotheses. The broken home causes substance abuse; overprotective mothers with or without neglectful fathers cause substance abuse; substance abuse is reinforced by the changes it brings about in family interaction. The broke-home hypothesis attributes substance abuse to sheer absence of a parent, usually the father. The overprotective-mother hypothesis emphasizes the effect of indulgent, dominant mother behavior sometimes combined with ineffectual father behavior. The increased-control hypothesis emphasizes the effects of substance abuser, parents, and siblings on one another. Because investigations of these hypotheses are necessarily correlational, existing research on the family backgrounds of substance abusers suffers from methodological flaws characteristic of weak correlational designs. These hypotheses are logical extensions of Freudian theory, early social-learning theory, and revised social-learning theory respectively. Assumptions that pertinent aspects of the more general theories have been upheld by empirical investigation are not justified.

Engaging "resistant" families in treatment

Many families, when presented with the option of family therapy, are less than eager to participate. This paper comprises the second and third parts of a series on engaging "resistant" families. Part II presents 21 principles and a number of techniques and strategies that have been developed for successfully recruiting such families. These techniques should be applicable for engaging resistant families with all types of presenting problems. Part III provides an analysis of the important variables involved, along with data on cost efficiency and administrative costs. It was found that when therapists had administrative control of their cases, serving in dual roles as both therapists and drug counselors, the recruitment effort was (a) more effective (i.e., complete families, including both parents or parent surrogates, were recruited in 77 per cent of the cases), and (b) twice as cost efficient. Two-thirds of the non-engaged families were not recruited because the index patient would not allow family members to be contacted. Black families were more difficult to recruit than whites. Data on cost efficiency and on the actual administrative costs of recruiting families are also provided.