1. What parents of adolescents in residential substance use treatment want from continuing care: A content analysis of online forum posts
- Author
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Kelli Scott, Frances N. Jiménez, Sara J. Becker, Katherine I. Escobar, and Sarah A. Helseth
- Subjects
Parents ,Continuing care ,Adolescent ,Substance-Related Disorders ,food and beverages ,030508 substance abuse ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,Aftercare ,Online forum ,Patient Discharge ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,0302 clinical medicine ,Nursing ,Content analysis ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Substance use ,0305 other medical science ,Psychology ,mHealth ,Substance use treatment - Abstract
Background Parents of adolescents in residential substance use (SU) treatment face a myriad of barriers to continuing care services. Growing research suggests that mobile health (mHealth) technologies can overcome common barriers to continuing care services, yet no work has addressed parents’ needs. To gain insight into parents’ continuing care needs, we analyzed online forum posts made by parents who received a novel mHealth intervention. Methods Thirty parents received access to an online networking forum where they could connect with our adolescent SU expert or the community of parents also navigating their adolescent's post-discharge transition. In real-time, participants could ask questions and share information, experiences, and emotional support. Results Twenty-one parents (70%) posted at least once; 12 parents made 15 posts to our expert, while 18 parents made 50 posts to the parent community. Thematic analysis uncovered five major themes: parenting skills; parent support; managing the post-discharge transition; adolescent SU; and family functioning. Conclusions Parents discussed a range of topics directly and indirectly related to their adolescent's treatment. Incorporating networking forums into mHealth continuing care interventions offers parents a secure space to ask questions, share concerns, and gather information needed to support their adolescent's transition home.
- Published
- 2021