Abstract
ABSTRACT This study aimed to describe the adverse effects that adolescent substance abuse has on the levels of care giving and well-being of families. The researchers used a qualitative case study design which focused on an issue of concern (such as adolescent substance abuse) and thus selected one case to elucidate the issue, i.e., a single case study. The case would be the family members of substance abusing adolescents in Mitchells Plain, a township in Cape Town, as an exemplar for the study. Purposive sampling was used to select 12 participants, seven parents (mothers) and five siblings. Individual semi-structured interviews were utilized for data collection through the use of interview schedules. The data were analysed in the form of qualitative thematic analysis where four themes emerged, which focused on the various effects (for example, financial, physical, emotional, and distrust) on family well-being resulting from living with a substance-abusing adolescent.
Highlights
Prior to the first democratic elections in South Africa (SA), substance abuse primarily involved drugs such as alcohol, cannabis and methaqualone
The current study focuses on area (Mitchell’s Plain) on the Cape Flats because of its significant levels of substance abuse
The themes have provided a detailed account of how substance abuse affects the well-being and functioning of the family
Summary
Prior to the first democratic elections in South Africa (SA), substance abuse primarily involved drugs such as alcohol, cannabis and methaqualone. Post-apartheid SA has been combating numerous environmental stressors, including the transition from apartheid to a democratic dispen sation, poverty, high crime, violence and the HIV pandemic. These stressors have contributed to the upsurge in substance use (Brook et al, 2006). 5% of deaths of young people below 30 years are attributed to alcohol abuse (World Health Organization (WHO), 2016). In Central and Eastern Europe, it was reported that 25% of under 20year-olds use drugs (World Health Organization (WHO), 2015b), high usage across Western Europe, Australasia and North America (Romo-Avilés et al, 2016), as well as lifetime cannabis use in these countries (Degenhardt et al, 2016). The age-of-onset was similar across countries (16–19 years) except South Africa where it was 20 years
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