A phenomenological study of families with drug-using children living in the society

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Adolescents have a risk of drug abuse during their development, which demands care by the parents in a family environment. This study explored the experiences of families with drug-using children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used a descriptive phenomenological qualitative design. Seven participants were recruited for the study using the snowballing sampling technique. The data collection instruments employed included interviews, field notes, and tape recorders. Sociodemographic data were collected comprising age, sex, religion, and relationships with other drug users. Interview guidelines were prepared based on the research objectives and they were further translated into a number of questions to explore the experiences of the families. Data were obtained using in-depth interviews. The Colaizzi method was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The results characterized the feelings of the parents/families, stigma felt by families, coping mechanisms used by families, family burden, ways of fixing the problem, obtaining the support of family, and family expectations of the parties involved. The families experienced a deep, prolonged, and repetitive grieving process. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified several themes in the experiences of families with drug-using children. We suggest that drug service agencies assign a public health nurse to act as a counselor and advocate to help families manage and overcome their problems.