Supervisors info:
Παπαρρηγόπουλος Θωμάς, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Πομίνι Βαλέρια, ΕΔΙΠ, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Τριανταφύλλου Καλλιόπη, Επιστημονική Συνεργάτης, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Εκφραζόμενο συναίσθημα, ποιότητα ζωής & επίπεδο οικογενειακής λειτουργικότητας, επικοινωνίας και κοινωνικής υποστήριξης γονέων ουσιοεξαρτημένων ατόμων: ο ρόλος της υποτροπής
Translated title:
Εxpressed emotion, quality of life & level of family functioning, communication and social support of parents of substance dependent individuals: the role of relapse
Summary:
Introduction. Substance dependence is a complex biopsychosocial phenomenon with serious implications for mental and physical health, affecting individuals regardless of age and socioeconomic status. The family plays a crucial role in addressing addiction, with factors such as expressed emotion, quality of life, family functioning, communication, and social support influencing the course of treatment. However, there is a research gap in studying the correlation between these factors and relapse, limiting the understanding of family dynamics and the development of more effective therapeutic approaches with lower relapse rates.
Aim. The present study aims to investigate differences in expressed emotion, quality of life, and the level of family functioning, communication, and social support among parents of substance-dependent individuals with 0-1 relapses and parents of substance-dependent individuals with ≥2 relapses, throughout the time they attend a residential therapeutic program, either at 18 ANO Psychiatric Hospital of Attica, or at KETHEA, or at OKANA.
Methodology. A cross-sectional study was carried out, with a sample of 57 parents of substance dependent individuals (64,9% had 0-1 relapses and 35,1% had ≥ 2 relapses) attending a residential treatment program or at the Family Department of the 18 ANO Detoxification Unit (Psychiatric Hospital of Attica), or at the Family Support Unit of KETHEA EN DRASI, or at the Adolescents/Youth Unit "Atrapos" of the Organization Against Drugs (OKANA). The following tools were administered: the Kreisman Scale of Rejecting Attitudes, the Quality of Life Assessment Scale (WhoQoL-Bref D), the Family Assessment Device (FAD), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MPSS) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS 21). The participants also answered questions regarding their demographic information and details about their children's therapeutic progress.
Results. Expressed emotion was found to be statistically significantly related to number of relapses (p= .000) and parents of substance-dependent children with ≥2 relapses (M= 75.10, SD= 11.841) had higher expressed emotion than parents of substance-dependent children with 0-1 relapses (M= 55.38, SD= 15.278). Similarly, it was found that quality of life was statistically significantly related to the number of relapses (p= .003) and that parents of substance-dependent children with 0-1 relapses had better quality of life (M= 73.92, SD= 12.056) compared to parents of substance-dependent children with ≥2 relapses (M= 64.20, SD= 9.929). Also, family functioning was statistically significantly related to the number of relapses (p= .000), and parents of substance-dependent children with 0-1 relapses had better family functioning (M= 1.85, SD= .518) compared to parents of substance-dependent children with ≥2 relapses (M= 2.77, SD= .492). On the contrary, it was found that the number of relapses was not statistically significantly related to the total received social support (p= .159), anxiety (p= .412), stress (p= .350), depression (p= .205), the communication with the child (p= .580), the frequency of communication with the child (p= .386) and the way of communication with the child (p= .401).
Conclusions. This study highlights the significant challenges faced by parents of substance-dependent individuals with high relapse rates. Addressing these challenges through targeted interventions, family-centered approaches, and supportive policies is necessary to enhance the therapeutic process and improve the well-being of these families.
Keywords:
Parents of substance-dependent individuals, Relapse, Expressed emotion, Family functioning, Quality of life, Social support
