Effects Of “Adolescent” Substance Use on The Family in An Urban Setting in Ghana.

Abstract

Individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) or mental illness obviously affect almost all aspects of family life; from their mental health, family burden and courtesy stigma. In his classic text, Goffman (1963) defined courtesy stigma as the negative impact that results from association with a person who is marked by a stigma. Family members of relatives with SUD report they are frequently harmed by this kind of stigma (blame, shame and contamination) as well as poor mental health. This present study aimed at investigating the effects of adolescent SUD on the family. Based on several gaps in foreign and local researches in this area, objectives of the present study were to examine the influence of adolescents SUDs on the family’s mental health (Psychological wellbeing and psychological distress). Other objectives were to ascertain the relationship between adolescent’s substance use and courtesy stigma among family members of relatives with SUD relative and to also assess the level of burden the family experience as a result of their relative’s SUD. A sample of 80 participants from the Greater Accra Region participated in the study; families with SUD consisted of 40 whereas families with no SUD also consisted of 40. This study was conducted as a cross-sectional survey design. The following were used as instruments: Mental health inventory, caregiver burden scale and family stigma scale. It was found that family members of adolescents without SUD experienced better psychological wellbeing as compared with family members of adolescents with SUD relatives. Again, it was found that family members of adolescents with SUD relative experienced more burden as well as stigmatized as compared with family members with no SUD relative. This research has been pertinent as it has made available essential baseline data with regard to the psychosocial burden experienced by families with SUDs relative. Again, these findings can assist health professionals create an intervention for caregivers with SUDs.