Me & my family: a programme for children and parents in families with parental substance use problems – an outcome study
2025 (English)In: Nordic Social Work Research, ISSN 2156-857X, E-ISSN 2156-8588, Vol. 15, no 1, p. 17-28Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Me & my family is a knowledge- and motivation-based programme that includes eight weekly sessions provided by the social services for families in which there are parental substance use problems (SUPs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the programme outcomes in terms of child and parental well-being, family climate, and parental alcohol and drug use. The study involved self-reported ratings from 59 children, aged 5–20 years, and 67 parents, of whom approximately two-thirds completed the programme and provided the self-ratings before, on completing, and three months after the intervention. Findings included a significant increase in family closeness and a significant reduction in family chaos after the intervention, which persisted three months post-intervention. Children also reported a reduction in self-rated conduct problems, whereas parents reported a similar reduction in self-rated symptoms of anxiety and depression. Parents also reported less alcohol and drug consumption post-intervention relative to baseline ratings. The findings suggest that the Me & my family programme supports child and family well-being and could potentially protect children from later detrimental outcomes. The results need to be replicated to evaluate the effectiveness of this programme compared with other programmes within the social services.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor & Francis , 2025. Vol. 15, no 1, p. 17-28
Keywords [en]
child mental health; Family intervention; parental mental health; parental substance use
National Category
Social Work
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-41552DOI: 10.1080/2156857x.2023.2192223ISI: 001160309300001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85150881987OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hig-41552DiVA, id: diva2:1748252
Funder
Public Health Agency of Sweden , 2018-20202023-04-032023-04-032025-01-29Bibliographically approved