Addiction within Families The impact of substance use disorder on the family system
Ólafsdóttir, Jóna Margrét (2020)
Ólafsdóttir, Jóna Margrét
Lapin yliopisto
2020
ISBN:978-952-337-229-0
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-337-229-0
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-337-229-0
Tiivistelmä
The overall aim of the thesis is to explore how family members of individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) experience its effect on the mental health and psychosocial state of other family members and the family system. The research questions were: How do the family members of individuals with substance use disorder experience the effects of the substance abuse on their mental health regarding depression, anxiety, and stress? And, how do they express the effect on their family atmosphere especially in relation to intra-family communication and cohesion?
In this study, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used, and the participants were selected with a purposive approach. Three scales were used in the quantitative part of the study; the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) (n=143), the Family Communication Scale (FCS) (n=115) and the Family Satisfaction Scale (FSS) (n=115). The participants were family members of individuals affected by SUD attending a four-week family group therapy session at the Icelandic National Centre for Addiction Treatment (SÁÁ).
In the qualitative part of the study, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted—one with each of the 16 participants. The participants fit into groups based on the four primary roles within the typical immediate family: four spouses/partners, four parents, four siblings, and four (adult) children. Each group was evenly divided in terms of gender: two males and two females.
The analysis of the questionnaires and interviews indicated that family members with individuals with SUD experienced negative effects on the family system, including reduced family cohesion, fragmented intra-family communication, and degraded adaptability to changing conditions. The results showed that family members living with an individual affected by SUD can experience increased depression, anxiety, and stress compared to members of families that do not include a member affected by SUD. Significant differences were noted in how family members expressed feelings about family experiences, based on role relationships among spouses, parents, (adult) children, and siblings.
Based on the accumulated research, a new model of family dynamics and their response to the strain of SUD is presented, based on the family roles and emotional states of the participants, and is applied to real-world examples. This model includes an emotional range from devotion to hostility in terms of how people feel toward their close relative living with SUD. The research reported here suggests that treating both the affected family member and the family as a whole can serve as a preventive measure for the family members of the next generation.
In this study, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used, and the participants were selected with a purposive approach. Three scales were used in the quantitative part of the study; the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) (n=143), the Family Communication Scale (FCS) (n=115) and the Family Satisfaction Scale (FSS) (n=115). The participants were family members of individuals affected by SUD attending a four-week family group therapy session at the Icelandic National Centre for Addiction Treatment (SÁÁ).
In the qualitative part of the study, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted—one with each of the 16 participants. The participants fit into groups based on the four primary roles within the typical immediate family: four spouses/partners, four parents, four siblings, and four (adult) children. Each group was evenly divided in terms of gender: two males and two females.
The analysis of the questionnaires and interviews indicated that family members with individuals with SUD experienced negative effects on the family system, including reduced family cohesion, fragmented intra-family communication, and degraded adaptability to changing conditions. The results showed that family members living with an individual affected by SUD can experience increased depression, anxiety, and stress compared to members of families that do not include a member affected by SUD. Significant differences were noted in how family members expressed feelings about family experiences, based on role relationships among spouses, parents, (adult) children, and siblings.
Based on the accumulated research, a new model of family dynamics and their response to the strain of SUD is presented, based on the family roles and emotional states of the participants, and is applied to real-world examples. This model includes an emotional range from devotion to hostility in terms of how people feel toward their close relative living with SUD. The research reported here suggests that treating both the affected family member and the family as a whole can serve as a preventive measure for the family members of the next generation.
Kokoelmat
- Väitöskirjat [390]