Caregivers experiences of living with an adolescent who abuses drugs in the Sol Plaatjie Municipal area in the Northern Cape

Abstract

Aim Drug abuse by adolescents has devastating effects on the ability of their families and caregivers to function. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the caregiver’s lived experiences of living with an adolescent who was abusing drugs and receiving treatment in selected drug rehabilitation institutions. Research Design and Approach A qualitative, descriptive, and contextual with a phenomenological approach. was adopted to explore caregivers’ lived experiences living with adolescents who abuse drugs. Research setting The study was conducted at four purposively chosen Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) rehabilitation institutions situated in the Sol Plaatjie Municipality in Kimberly in the Northern Cape Province. Participants were recruited from selected rehabilitation government institutions and NGOs in the Sol Plaatjie Municipal area after full ethics approval was obtained from the DUT Institutional Research Ethics Committee (IREC). A non-probability purposive sampling, also known as the judgment sampling method, was used in this study. to interviews with 15 purposively selected caregivers whose adolescents were abusing drugs. Interviews were recorded and then simultaneously translated and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes related to the experiences of caregivers of adolescents with a drug abuse problem. Results Results show that the behaviour of these adolescents created an environment that led to feelings of shame and embarrassment, family disintegration, conflicts, and communication breakdown, suicidal feelings, and stress related ailments of these caregivers. Participants experienced personal challenges which included psychological and emotional effects of fear, stress, pain, and self-blame. Participants also highlighted family disruptions and financial drain as adverse experiences as a result of their adolescents’ behaviour. Conclusion The study results highlighted the psychosocial challenges experienced by those caregivers of adolescents who abuse drugs. These findings underscore the need for efforts to be directed at the development of formal support interventions for caregivers of adolescents who are affected by this public health scourge.