In this issue, we will discuss interventions for parental drinking and drug abuse.
Are your parents alcoholics or drug addicts?
Maybe they don't like this kind of content, but there are many people in Japan who are troubled by addiction.
Of course, it is a problem for the individual, but if there is a family member, it is often a problem for the whole family.
Since these addiction symptoms affect the family members in some way, it is necessary to promote treatment. However, is psychological intervention effective?
In this study, they are investigating the usefulness of having not only the patient but also the child participate.
The study
A parent's heavy use of alcohol or drugs, or both, can be harmful to the person using them, their partner, and the children living with them.
When one or both parents are heavy drinkers or drug users, children are more likely to be injured, experience physical and mental health problems, and use alcohol and drugs themselves.As a result, heavy drinking and illegal drug use by parents is often considered a child protection concern.
This study aims to help parents interrupt their drinking and drug use and address related issues they are having with regard to their children's care through the interventions examined.
The researchers aimed to find out if such interventions could help parents reduce their alcohol and drug use, and whether this could also benefit their children.
The review included 22 studies, involving a total of 2274 adults, the subjects of which were heavy drinkers or drug users.
Several different types of psychosocial interventions were tested in the studies.
Some of the interventions included
Focusing on parental drinking and drug use
Some focused on parenting skills and parent-child relationships.
Some of the psychosocial interventions combined both.
The majority of the studies evaluated interventions provided to mothers.
Most studies were conducted in the United States and were funded by research councils or charitable organizations.It was found that psychosocial interventions could possibly help parents slightly reduce the frequency of their alcohol drinking and drug use.
Interventions that focus on parental drinking and drug use and their role as parents seem to be the best at reducing parental drinking and drug use.
These interventions may be more helpful for fathers than for mothers.
More research is needed to understand whether these interventions are helpful for both mothers and fathers.
Current evidence suggests that interventions that do not include children may significantly reduce the frequency with which parents drink alcohol and use drugs.
Conclusion.
Although there were some weaknesses in the quality of the evidence, interventions for parents who are heavy drinkers or drug users that focus on both parenting skills and drinking/drug use may be most helpful. These interventions may be more helpful for fathers than for mothers.
McGovern R, Newham JJ, Addison MT, Hickman M, Kaner EFS. Effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for reducing parental substance misuse. Database of Systematic Reviews 2021, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD012823. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD012823.pub2.
Summary
The content of the study examined whether to intervene with children as an intervention for drinking and drug use.
The quality of the evidence is not high, but it suggests that psychosocial interventions that include an awareness of the role of parents in raising their children are effective, and that fathers are more likely to be involved than mothers.
Family therapy, which is generally considered to be a treatment method that relies on the cooperation of family members, was used in this study to reinforce the "role of the parent".
Perhaps these interventions were useful because women are more likely to have children and men are less likely to participate in childcare.
I don't know if these results apply to everyone, but for those who don't feel at home, finding a role may be an opportunity to return from dependency.
