Who Cares? Voices of Parents Caring for Adolescents Recovering from Substance Use Disorder

Abstract

The role of parents is crucial in the development and recovery of adolescents with substance use disorder (SUD), as they can either increase the risk to, or promote protection and resilience of, these adolescents. Nonetheless, the experiences, opinions, and treatment attitudes of parents of adolescents recovering from SUD have been the subject of very few research studies. The problem of how adolescents recovering from SUD affect parents and family dynamics is mostly ignored, and parents of adolescents recovering from SUD find it difficult to cope. The aim of the research was to gain an in-depth understanding of how parents of adolescents recovering from SUD can be supported. Qualitative research with the intervention design and development (IDD) model was used to investigate the phenomenon using the family systems theory as the point of departure. We conducted face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured interview with 16 purposively sampled parents of adolescents recovering from SUD, in Tshwane, South Africa. Data were thematically analysed and verified using Guba's model. Participants expressed their perspectives on caring for an adolescent recovering from SUD and described the support services they would like to receive. It is evident from the findings that parents have to assist their child recovering from SUD and have to cope with the emotional, physical, and spiritual consequences of SUD on themselves and their families.