Search

Objective: The present study explores mediation of the link between internalized stigma and caregiver burden by difficulties regulating distress and depression among a sample of family caregivers. Background: Caregiver burden is a common experience among parents whose children struggle with substance use. Depression, anxiety, and difficulties regulating distress are significantly related to the strains associated with this family caregiver role; further, stigmatizing attitudes about substance use can further impact family caregivers' mental health, thus heightening caregiver burden. Method: Two‐hundred and sixty‐four family caregivers completed online, anonymous surveys on their experiences as a parent of a young adult struggling with substance use. Results: Parallel mediation modeling indicates significant effects such that difficulty regulating distress and depression symptoms partially explain the association between internalized stigma and caregiving burden. Conclusion: Caregiver experiences occur in a societal context that includes stigmatizing attitudes toward the care recipient for their substance use balanced against their emotion regulation resources to manage psychological distress. Implications: Family‐centered interventions to build caregiver emotion regulation resources are recommended, as these skills buffer against negative outcomes by reducing self‐critical judgments and encouraging nonreactive responses to perceived social threats like rejection, or shame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SARS-CoV-2, commonly known as COVID-19, continues to have a profound affect ON adolescents and their families. Mental health professionals have seen an alarming increase in anxiety, depression, and suicidality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adolescents face the challenge of differentiating from their families, and often place increased focus and importance on their peer group. Given the increased isolation, this paper illustrates how Satir's therapy model can be used by therapists who treat adolescents and their families related to COVID-19 specific stressors. Specifically, this paper will examine how Satir's focus on how self-worth, communication, and holistic approaches, are uniquely beneficial to treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective: The aim of the present study was to examine MHL and RHL in a sample of college students in the United States, and to explore linkages among literacies and related constructs. Participants: Participants were 169 (N = 169) participants who were adult college students at a state university in the southern United States. Participants were recruited through an online recruitment management system that allows college students to participate in research studies for participation credit. Method: We analyzed online survey data using descriptive analysis. In effort to develop a measurement tool to measure relational mental health literacy, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis on the Relational Health Literacy Scale (RHLS) that was developed for the present study. Results: Results suggest that college students would be willing to seek mental health resources from some professional sources. Participants were able to more easily identify symptoms of anxiety and depression, and struggled to accurately identify symptoms of mania, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Respondents also demonstrated some awareness of relationship health issues. Conclusions: Implications for further research, practice and policy making are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a loved one experiences a substance use disorder (SUD) often, a family member may assume a non-normative and intense caregiving role. Caregivers often experience strain as a result of the care they provide to their loved one experiencing an SUD. While SUDs are conceptualized as a family disease, little is known about caregiver perception of treatment productiveness, or usefulness of the treatment. To begin to address caregiver perception of treatment, we surveyed a national sample of 141 caregivers of a loved one with an SUD to investigate the aspects of family treatment that they felt were most productive in their loved one's recovery using moderation analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most persistent and troubling health disparities is the underutilization of mental health services by individuals with marginalized aspects of their identity. We provide a critical review of the literature of barriers to psychotherapy initiation and the connection to social determinants of health. We propose a change from a deficit-based view of the problem to a strength-based view that include the following strategies: family therapy treatments designed to reduce barriers, telehealth as an option to address treatment barriers, changes to the recruitment of therapists-in-training, and person of the therapist development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a young adult develops a substance use disorder (SUD), a parent often assumes a caregiving role, and experiences burdens associated with this off‐time life event (Kaur et al., 2018). Mothers and children reciprocally influence one another's emotional processes, impacting proximal process (Bronfenbrenner & Evans, 2000; Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 1998). The study purpose was to develop a theory of mothers' experiences of having a young adult child with a SUD. We conducted 14 semi‐structured interviews with mothers who sought support from an online forum for parents of individuals with a SUD. We analyzed responses using Strauss and Corbin's (1990) grounded theory and identified three core categories that focused on participants' shift from approaching their child from a stance of anxiety and attempts to control their substance use, to anger, and, finally, acceptance of their loved one's autonomy. Findings imply the importance of mothers' treatment involvement, and specialized services for mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caregiver burden describes the physical, psychological, social, and financial demands of providing care to others. Caregiver burden has been investigated in general, and off-time caregiving often specific to chronic, recurring conditions. Despite the substantial research attention to caregiving burden, there have been few studies aimed establishing the psychometric evaluation of measurement tools used to measure the construct (Pendergrass et al., 2018). Accurate measurement of caregiving burden is essential for studying the myriad effects on caregivers' mental, physical, financial, and relational health. To begin to fill this gap, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis of the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers (Pendergrass et al., 2018) in two distinct samples. Results of an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated a one factor solution. Implications for these findings on the study of caregiver burden are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caregivers of young adult children with substance use disorders (SUDs) experience caregiving burden because of the strains and tensions associated with the role. Exposure to stigmatizing attitudes through social experiences can lead to the internalization of these negative beliefs about the self and others. In the case of caregivers providing support to loved ones with SUDs, further inquiry is warranted to better understand the synergistic impacts of the stresses and strains associated with providing care and the stigma associated with that care. Further research is needed to investigate how internalized stigma for caregivers of substance using loved ones is assessed and measured so that it can be tested. The present study presents an adaptation of the Internalized Stigma of Substance Abuse Scale (ISSA) for use with caregivers and describes the resulting psychometric properties of the revised measure. Results support an adapted measure specifically for caregivers, called the Internalized Stigma of Substance Abuse Scale for Caregivers (ISSA-C), and suggest that the scale is unidimensional and shows preliminary indications of construct validity and internal consistency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]