Exploring childhood experiences and family contexts as risk factors for drug use in the lives of young drug users in the Western Cape, South Africa

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dc.contributor.authorRich, Edna Grace
dc.contributor.authorLondt, Marcel
dc.contributor.authorHoltman, Lorna
dc.date.accessioned2023-04-13T07:14:59Z
dc.date.available2023-04-13T07:14:59Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.description.abstractThe use of drugs amongst adolescents and youth has become a global phenomenon and South Africa is no exception. This paper aims to explore the familial contexts and childhood experiences leading up to the drug-taking pathways of young drug users. A qualitative approach was utilized to gather demographic from a purposive sample of 41 young (14–19 years) drug users, at five drug treatment centres in the Western Cape of South Africa. Additionally, participants could agree to participate in an in-depth interview or to provide a written life history account. A thematic data analysis was applied, and the results uncovered a range of family-related risk factors such as family structure (single motherhood and absent fatherhood), and other negative family functioning and practices such as troubled parent-child relationships, poor family communication/interactions, parental/family substance abuse, and conflict-ridden, stressful and often violent and abusive family situations. The findings suggest that prevention initiatives should focus on strengthening family functioning by reducing high conflict, stress, violent and abusive family situations, as well as aim to enhance the caregiver-child relationship. Prevention strategies should encourage live-in and non-live-in fathers to be actively involved in the lives of their children and should aim to reduce parental/caregiver substance abuse.en_US
dc.identifier.citationRich, E. G., Londt, M., & Holtman, L. (2023). Exploring childhood experiences and family contexts as risk factors for drug use in the lives of young drug users in the Western Cape, South Africa. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 1-9.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2023.2179149
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10566/8771
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherTaylor & Francisen_US
dc.subjectrisk factorsen_US
dc.subjectparentsen_US
dc.subjectdrug useen_US
dc.subjectsubstance abuseen_US
dc.subjectfamilyen_US
dc.subjectadolescentsen_US
dc.titleExploring childhood experiences and family contexts as risk factors for drug use in the lives of young drug users in the Western Cape, South Africaen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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