“Bury Don’t Discuss”: The Help-Seeking Behaviour of Family Members Affected by Substance-use Disorders

ObjectivesMen who have sex with men (MSM) are at increased risk for STIs and mental disorders. Syndemic theory holds that psychosocial issues co-occur and interact, and thus increase sexual risk behaviour. Psychosocial issue identification, referral and management might reduce risk behaviour.MethodsIn the syndemic-based intervention study, an open-label randomised controlled trial, MSM were enrolled at the STI outpatient clinic of the Public Health Service of Amsterdam. We screened participants using validated questionnaires on the following problem domains: alcohol and substance use, sexual compulsivity, anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, alexithymia, intimate partner violence and childhood sexual abuse. Individuals were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either tailored, face-to-face feedback and help-seeking advice on mental health screening, or no feedback and no help-seeking advice. Participants were followed trimonthly for a year. The primary outcomes were self-reported and confirmed help-seeking behaviour.ResultsWe included 155 MSM: 76 in the intervention group and 79 in the control group. At inclusion, 128 participants (83.1%) scored positive in at least one problem domain. We found no significant differences in self-reported or confirmed help-seeking behaviour between the intervention and the control group: 41% vs 29% (p=0.14) and 28% vs 22% (p=0.44), respectively. There were also no differences in STI incidence and condomless anal sex acts between the two groups.ConclusionScreening showed high prevalence of problems related to mental health and substance use, while tailored feedback, advice and referral did not significantly increase help-seeking behaviour. Other interventions are needed to tackle the high burden of mental disorders among MSM.Trial registration numberNCT02859935.

Download Full-text

Depression, Substance Use and Suicidality in Help-Seeking Adolescents: A Survey of Prevalence

Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling ◽

10.1017/s1037291100002478 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 162-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Elizabeth Cosgrave ◽

Eóin Killackey ◽

Alison Yung ◽

Joe Buckby ◽

Katherine Godfrey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Substance Use ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Substance Use Disorders ◽

Psychiatric Diagnosis ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

School Setting ◽

Public Mental Health

AbstractMental health problems affect a sizeable minority of Australian adolescents. Depression and substance use disorders are common mental disorders reported in this age group. Difficulties of this nature that manifest in adolescence will often continue into adulthood. This report describes a sample of adolescents referred to a public mental health service with respect to their psychiatric diagnoses, depressive symptoms, patterns of substance use and level of suicidality. Mood disorders and substance-use disorders were both prevalent in the sample of participants, with sizeable comorbidity reflected in the number ol participants meeting criteria for both of these diagnoses. Data revealed participants with a psychiatric diagnosis were significantly more likely to have made a suicide attempt than those with no diagnosis. High levels of depressive symptoms were associated with suicidality, illicit substance use, and the likelihood of having a psychiatric diagnosis. Heavy use of alcohol was prevalent in this group, but unrelated to the other variables of interest to the study. These results are discussed with respect to the importance of early detection of vulnerable students in a school setting.

Download Full-text

Coping strategies and social support-seeking behaviour among Chinese caring for older people with dementia

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x12000724 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 33 (8) ◽

pp. 1422-1441 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

ALMA AU ◽

STEVEN M. SHARDLOW ◽

YUE TENG ◽

TERESA TSIEN ◽

CHARLES CHAN

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Older People ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Family Members ◽

Chinese Society ◽

Family Obligations ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Care Givers ◽

Help Seeking Behaviour

ABSTRACTThe study reviewed coping and help-seeking behaviour among Hong Kong Chinese family care-givers of older people diagnosed with dementia. A convenience sample of those caring for family members with dementia (N=11) was recruited in Hong Kong. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed and analysed using NVivo. The study found evidence of distinct Chinese coping strategies that focused upon internal self-regulation, forbearance and family obligations. In terms of help-seeking behaviour, these care-givers expressed great concern about bothering their family members. When there is a desperate need for help, they turn to community services. Results are discussed in the context of both traditional Chinese cultural values as well as the modern transformations of the Chinese society. In particular, Eastern philosophical teachings tend to focus on changing personal inner perception and thoughts rather than attempting to change the environment. Although family obligations have been traditionally upheld, many modern Chinese societies are undergoing social and demographic changes, resulting in marked decline in multi-generational households. Our findings can have applications not only for Chinese cities but also may have implications to the West as strong well-established Chinese communities are widespread.

Download Full-text

Stress Adaptation Among Family of Adolescent with Substance Use Disorders: Systematic Literature Review

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2021.6512 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (F) ◽

pp. 335-341

Author(s):

Heru Subekti ◽

Siswanto Agus Wilopo ◽

Ibrahim Rahmat

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Substance Use Disorders ◽

Coping Strategy ◽

Family Members ◽

Review Literature ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Strategy Adaptation ◽

Treatment Services ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND: Families of an adolescent with substance use disorders report significant burden and stress. Adequate coping strategies can modify the impact of stressful situations and increase family function. AIM: The objective of the study was to systematically review literature related to the coping strategies and adaptations used by family members of the adolescent with substance use disorders to manage their stress. METHODS: We conducted electronic searches using MEDLINE (PubMed), EBSCO, databases to select studies on family stress, and coping strategies that were published from January 2000 to December 2020. The search terms were family, parent, father, mother, coping, caregiver, strategy, adaptation, adolescent, and substance use disorders. RESULTS: We found 961 articles. After application of exclusion criteria and exclusion of redundant references, 10 articles were thematically analyzed. The studies were organized into five categories: Engaged, tolerance, withdrawal, problem-focused, and emotion-focused coping strategies. The family members felt devastated by the incidents of violence and aggressive outbursts, and felt that they failed as parents. As a result, the parents felt very isolated from other family members and friends, and ashamed of their children’s behavior. Most families used problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies in different combinations. CONCLUSION: The identified studies show that the use of emotional focus coping is the coping strategy most often done by families. Problem focus coping involved family efforts to find sources of information and seek treatment services as a mechanism for adaptive coping strategy. However, a mixed methods study is still needed that clearly illustrates the types of coping strategies used in various cultural perspectives and social status.

Download Full-text

Stress-adaptation among Family of Adolescent with Substance Misuse: Systematic Literature Review

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2021.6696 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (F) ◽

pp. 474-480

Author(s):

Heru Subekti ◽

Ibrahim Rahmat ◽

Siswanto Wilopo

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Substance Use Disorders ◽

Coping Strategy ◽

Family Members ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Strategy Adaptation ◽

Treatment Services ◽

Significant Burden ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND: Families of an adolescent with substance use disorders report significant burden and stress. Adequate coping strategies can modify the impact of stressful situations and increase family function. AIM: The aim of the study was to systematically review the literature related to the coping strategies and adaptations used by family members of the adolescent with substance use disorders to manage their stress. METHODS: We conducted electronic searches using MEDLINE (PubMed), EBSCO, databases to select studies on family stress, and coping strategies that were published from January 2000 to December 2020. The search terms were family, parent, father, mother, coping, caregiver, strategy, adaptation, adolescent, and substance use disorders. RESULTS: We found 961 articles. After application of exclusion criteria and exclusion of redundant references, ten articles were thematically analyzed. The studies were organized into five categories: Engaged, tolerance, withdrawal, problem-focused, and emotion-focused coping strategies. The family members felt devastated by the incidents of violence and aggressive outbursts, and felt they failed as parents. As a result, the parents felt very isolated from other family members and friends, and ashamed of their children’s behavior. Most families used problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies in different combinations. CONCLUSION: The identified studies show that the use of emotional focus coping is the coping strategy most often done by families. Problem focus coping involved family efforts to find sources of information and seek treatment services as a mechanism for adaptive coping strategy. However, a mixed methods study is still needed that clearly illustrates the types of coping strategies used in various cultural perspectives and social status.

Download Full-text

A Family Guide to Coping with Substance Use Disorders

10.1093/med-psych/9780190926632.001.0001 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Dennis C. Daley ◽

Antoine Douaihy

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Substance Use Disorders ◽

Substance Misuse ◽

Family Members ◽

Drug Problem ◽

Family Issues ◽

The Family ◽

Affected Person ◽

Key Issues ◽

The Impact

This guide was written for family members, significant others, and people concerned about their relatives or friends who have an alcohol or drug problem, which in this book is referred to as substance misuse or substance use disorder (SUD). Substance problems can take many shapes and forms and differ in their severity and impact. This family guide will discuss these problems and how to help the affected person and other family members (including children) who may have been harmed by a loved one’s substance problem. This guide can also help individuals with a substance use problem understand the impact of their SUDs on the family as well as what their family members can do to help themselves. Addressing family issues and making amends are key issues for people in recovery from SUDs.

Download Full-text