Substance Abuse Homes, Systems of Care, and Coping Development - The Youth Experience

Abstract

The current paper investigates the development of minor's coping mechanisms living in substance abuse homes in connection to their access to systems of care. Specifically, the research explores what coping strategies children use to survive having guardians who are substance abuse users, as well as identifies what systems of care provided opportunities to develop coping skills in these environments. By conducting dyadic hour-long interviews with 5 self-identified adults that grew up in substance abuse households, a qualitative analysis of recurrent themes surrounding coping, mental health, and systems of care was established. The results highlighted an emphasis on coping through 'escapism' that developed in childhood and persisted into adulthood. The perseverance of the escapism coping style was dependent on if the child had access to systems of care that modeled emotion regulation and allowed for self-exploration in a safe space. The higher the investment in systems of care in childhood, the less dependent on escapism in adulthood. The implications for future social work feature a need for funding to be funneled into educational programs that train staff working in systems of care to appropriately model coping and emotion processing skills for children living with trauma.