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Anxiety-Provoking Experiences: Living with Caregiver Problematic Substance Use
Britany Shymanski, Marcella Ogenchuk, and Geoffrey Maina
Background: Children of caregivers with problematic substance use are at an increased risk for adverse childhood experiences, such as neglect, intentional and unintentional abuse, and household dysfunction. These experiences can contribute to anxiety, which is the most common mental health concern for children. Anxiety has multiple short- and long-term adverse effects.
Aim: To describe the anxiety-provoking experiences of children living with caregivers who experience problematic substance use.
Methods: Secondary analysis using exploratory, inductive thematic analysis was conducted on 16 interviews of individuals affected by substance use disorder in the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan area. The focus of the analysis is to describe anxiety-provoking experiences of children living in homes affected by a caregiver's substance use.
Results: Three main themes were identified and included experiencing trauma, living in an unstable home environment, and resiliency in adulthood.
Conclusions: Children who lived with caregivers with problematic substance use faced anxiety while living in an unstable home environment and experiencing traumatic events. This anxiety continued into adulthood. These children demonstrated resiliency despite the hardships they faced. This research contributes to understanding childhood anxiety in the context of living with caregivers with problematic substance use and the importance of using a trauma-informed approach when working with children.
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