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International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

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01-10-2016

“It was Bad to See My [Child] Doing this”: Mothers’ Experiences of Living with Adolescents with Substance Abuse Problems

Authors: Candice Groenewald, Arvin Bhana

Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction | Issue 5/2016

Abstract

This paper explores mothers’ experiences of living with an adolescent with substance use problems; an underresearched topic of inquiry worldwide. Specifically, we were interested in the stressors that mothers face and how these stressors influenced their subjective wellbeing. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was adopted where five mother-adolescent pairs were recruited from two adolescent substance abuse treatment centres to participate in 1:1 in-depth interviews using a lifegrid tool. Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed that adolescent’s substance abuse produced several stressful life events, such as adolescent misconduct, family conflict and financial burdens that provoked feelings of hopelessness, guilt, self-blame, worry, shame, anger, and signs of depression. Understanding mothers’ experiences is essential to the development of informed support interventions for mothers of adolescents troubled by substance abuse. We conclude this paper by discussing the research and practice implications of our findings.

These are social workers who have been assigned to work with adolescents in substance abuse treatment centres

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Title: “It was Bad to See My [Child] Doing this”: Mothers’ Experiences of Living with Adolescents with Substance Abuse Problems
Authors: Candice Groenewald
Arvin Bhana
Publication date: 01-10-2016
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction / Issue 5/2016
Print ISSN: 1557-1874
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1882
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9605-7

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

“It was Bad to See My [Child] Doing this”: Mothers’ Experiences of Living with Adolescents with Substance Abuse Problems

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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