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Adolescent drug abuse: Helping families survive
Author(s) -
Usher Kim,
Jackson Debra,
O'Brien Louise
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
international journal of mental health nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.911
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1447-0349
pISSN - 1445-8330
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-0979.2005.00383.x
Subject(s) - substance abuse , psychological resilience , psychiatry , drug , medicine , psychology , substance use , drug misuse , social psychology
Drug use and abuse carries risk in people of all ages. However, adolescents are particularly vulnerable to substance misuse. Adolescent drug use continues to be an area of concern with a number of adolescents developing problems associated with the use of various drugs. Negative sequelae associated with adolescent drug use include areas such as schooling, health, and family relationships. Difficulties with the legal system, schooling, or within the family are commonly the triggers for recognition of substance misuse problems in a young person. However, problems are usually well‐established before they are recognized. The challenge of dealing with these problems will fall on families, particularly parents. This is a crisis for families, and ongoing support is needed if they are to overcome the challenges. Health workers (including nurses) are well‐positioned to support families who are dealing with adolescent drug problems. In this paper we propose the adoption of a strengths approach as a strategy for developing resilience in families.