Abstract
Home visiting programs face many challenges when providing evidence-based services to families affected by substance use disorders (SUDs). We conducted interviews and focus groups with community stakeholders and parents to elucidate important considerations when intentionally attempting to meet the needs of families affected by SUDs through home visiting programs. We identified one primary theme “Who is the client?” that describes how to ensure caregivers perceive themselves as an important focus of the program. Collectively, participants revealed that understanding caregivers’ emotional experiences was critical for effectively transforming their subjective experiences of the program. These emotional experiences were related to the quality of their relationships with their children, other family members, and service providers. Three sub-themes illustrate specific examples: 1) responding to the unique emotional needs of mothers in recovery, 2) considering emotional states to inform inclusion in programs, and 3) addressing complex family dynamics related to SUDs in the home. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Highlights
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Barriers to providing relationship-based interventions to families affected by substance use disorders still exist within traditionally child-focused home visiting programs.
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Participants revealed that understanding the caregivers’ emotional experiences was critical for effectively transforming from a child-focused to a relationship-focused program that meets the needs of mothers in recovery.
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Responding to the emotional needs of mothers in recovery could inform changes in program inclusion criteria and address complex family dynamics.
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This work was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health (award no. 1KL2TR002545), and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (award no. K23DA050731). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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N.B. received honoraria from The Kinetix Group, Global Learning Collaborative, Medscape, Miller Medical Communications and Mathematica. She has served on Advisory Boards for Sage Therapeutics. She has also served as a consultant for Ovia Health, Sage Therapeutics or their agents, and has received speaking honoraria from Sage Therapeutics.
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Peacock-Chambers, E., Buckley, D., Lowell, A. et al. Relationship-Based Home Visiting Services for Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders: A Qualitative Study. J Child Fam Stud 31, 2121–2133 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02313-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02313-1