Parental Substance Abuse Training

When it comes to substance abuse in teens, usually the focus is on the teen and what they are going through. Although this is an important key factor, there is very little attention on the parents of a teenager with a substance use disorder. There is very little

focus on the emotion toll that having a child with a substance use disorder has on the parent. What does having a child with a substance use disorder do to the parents? Does it cause a lot of stress? Can it effect their parenting in a negative way? There are studies that have been done to test the impact of teaching parents new skills to support and promote their teen to practice abstinence when it comes to abusing substances. Although there is still a number of teens who do not receive the treatment they need, these studies showed moderate improvements in parent functioning.

Treatment conditions introduced to 12, 2-hour group sessions. Coping Skills Training (CST), is treatment where parents were taught to view their problems from a family stress and coping model, which positions parental distress results from increasing problems brought on by adolescent substance use, and the ineffectiveness of how the parent responds to it. Twelve Step Facilitation (TSF) was another treatment condition where in these sessions, parents were taught to view their problem as one of codependence. Both treatment conditions reduced days of adolescent substance abuse related problems for the parent, and progress in parental functioning. Parent stress also was reduced reduced, and remained stable through the 12-month follow-up.

 It is hard to deal with an adolescent with a substance use disorder. There are many risk factors, and things to look out for. For a parent it can be stressful as they try to navigate through the challenges their teen with a substance use disorder may bring. Treatment and studies like the one's conducted above can help the parent relieve stress, learn how to better support and encourage their adolescent, and learn that they are not alone in their parenting. 

Resource:

McGillicuddy, N.B., et al., Skill training versus 12-step facilitation for parents of substance-abusing      teens, Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment (2014)