The experience of a parent coping with the child's substance misuse problem : a qualitative study.

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to conduct a qualitative analysis to highlight the experience of parents coping with the substance misuse problem of their child. It captures the experience of parents living in a family in which one of the children is consuming alcohol or taking illicit drugs to an extent that is seriously harmful to the family. It will discuss the impact of substance misuse on the parent and the family, their way of coping and the nature of support that the parent turn to. A purposive sample constituted of six mothers volunteered to participate in the· study and the data was gathered through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to extract common themes from the interviews. Five major themes emerged from the analysis: the impact, mixed emotions, the effects on the family, coping styles and support sought. Main findings revealed that being a parent of a substance misusing child is very stressful not only for the parent but also for the rest of the family. Different styles of coping are used by the parents in order to manage the problem of their child. Support for the parents was mostly attained through service providers, colleagues and friends. On the contrary support from close family members including the wider family was not perceived as positive. Finally, recommendations for service enhancement and directions for future research into this issue are proposed.