Abstract

In this study we analyze how parents of adult children with drug use problems view the initial stages of identifying their children’s troubles as a severe drug problem. We focus on the parents’ accounts of the discovery process by identifying significant events in the parents’ narratives through ‘the micro-politics of trouble’. The study is based on an analysis of 32 semi-structured interviews with parents of adult children (aged 18+) with drug problems. Four themes emerged from the parents’ narratives: (1) the first signs of a problem, (2) drug problem or teenage defiance? (3) the awakening, (4) a passing phase. The different themes show how the parents’ interpretations of the situation influence their definitions and thus their actions. Early signs and indicators of something being wrong do not initially result in parents framing the situation as problematic as they are perceived as everyday concerns and dealt with as such. Our focus on the initial phase of the problem definition process and how this affects the parents may provide a better understanding of the parents’ situation and needs for support. This may be of use to professionals in the fields of social work and drug treatment who meet these parents and may have a role to play in the development of support measures that can improve their situation.

摘要

在这项研究中，我们分析了有吸毒问题的成年儿童的父母如何看待将孩子的问题确定为严重吸毒问题的初始阶段。我们通过“麻烦的微观政治”来识别父母叙述中的重大事件，从而关注父母对发现过程的描述。该研究基于对 32 次对有吸毒问题的成年子女（18 岁以上）父母的半结构化访谈的分析。父母的叙述出现了四个主题：（1）问题的最初迹象，（2）毒品问题或青少年反抗？（3）觉醒，（4）逝去的阶段。不同的主题展示了父母对情况的解释如何影响他们的定义，从而影响他们的行为。出现问题的早期迹象和指标最初不会导致父母将这种情况视为有问题的，因为它们被视为日常问题并被处理。我们专注于问题定义过程的初始阶段以及这如何影响父母，这可能有助于更好地了解父母的情况和对支持的需求。这可能对与这些父母会面的社会工作和药物治疗领域的专业人员有用，并且可能在制定可以改善他们状况的支持措施方面发挥作用。