Formerly Detained Adolescents' Narratives: On the Interplay between Quality of Life and Desistance.

In recent years, a growing trend to consider strengths and protective factors in studies on desistance from crime has emerged. The present study explores three formerly detained adolescents' narratives, aiming to tease out how Quality of Life (QoL) and desistance interact in pathways towards a "better life." The narratives suggest that the journey towards a better life is highly individual, and may unfold via multiple pathways characterized by an ambivalent relationship between QoL and desistance. Alongside the importance of individual aspects and social support, societal barriers and opportunities play a significant role in creating new chances to re-build a life and prosocial identities. This reflects earlier findings that desistance is not an individual responsibility. It is essential to support young people to overcome societal barriers that impede participation in society and living a good life. This research adds to growing evidence of strengths-based approaches to rehabilitation, such as the Good Lives Model (GLM).

Treatment providers' perspectives on a gender-responsive approach in alcohol and drug treatment for women in Belgium.

Background: Gender inequity is a pervasive challenge to health equity on a global scale, and research shows the impact of sex and gender on substance use regarding for example epidemiology, treatment needs, treatment admission and treatment outcomes. The gender-transformative approach to action and health indicates that health interventions may maintain, exacerbate or reduce gender-related health inequalities, depending on the degree and quality of gender-responsiveness within the programme or policy. However, research shows a lack of gender-responsive initiatives in the alcohol and drug addiction field. Aims: The purpose of this study is to explore in depth how alcohol and drug treatment can be made more sensitive to female users' treatment needs from the perspective of service providers. Consequently, study findings can inform the development of gender-responsive treatment options and aid to a deeper understanding of how these trends are designated on the continuum of approaches to action and health in the alcohol and drug field. Methods: Four focus groups were organized across different regions in Belgium with a total of 43 participants, including service providers, policy makers and women who use(d) drugs. Results: The perspective of the participants on substance use prevention and treatment for female users incorporates some crucial gender-specific and gender-transformative features. Next to implementing mother-child options, a holistic approach, experts by experience and empowering women in treatment, professionals report the relevance of awareness raising campaigns targeting all levels and sectors in society. Also, recurring attention was given to the role of men in the narratives of female users. Conclusion: Study findings show that the field of alcohol and drug prevention and treatment is being looked at through the lens of gender-responsiveness. However, to achieve improvement in the lives of both women and men, and hence creating more equal chances and opportunities in substance abuse treatment, the gender-transformative approach in addiction care needs to be further explored, criticized and established in practice and future research.

"I Grew Up Amidst Alcohol and Drugs:" a Qualitative Study on the Lived Experiences of Parental Substance Use Among Adults Who Developed Substance Use Disorders Themselves.

Experiencing parental substance use (PSU) has been associated with a heightened risk of developing substance use disorders (SUDs) in offspring. The primary goal of this study was to explore perspectives of adult children with lived experience of PSU who also developed SUDs themselves through first-hand experience. This study was conducted in Flanders (Belgium). A qualitative exploratory research design was applied. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with adult children of parents with SUDs (range: 29-48 years) who themselves had developed SUDs. All interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Three overarching themes emerged through thematic analysis: 1) loneliness and neglect in childhood; 2) stigma and the self; and 3) the role of social connection in substance use and recovery. The narratives highlighted the central role of feelings of loneliness, isolation and belonging among children of parents with SUDs in childhood and adulthood. Increasing public awareness on the impact of PSU on children and accessible support is needed to overcome stigma and remove barriers to social inclusion for children of parents with SUDs. Findings may prove valuable in informing policy, program and treatment development aimed at breaking maladaptive intergenerational cycles.

Mothering, Substance Use Disorders and Intergenerational Trauma Transmission: An Attachment-Based Perspective.

Background: A growing body of research underlines that interpersonal trauma in childhood leads to heightened susceptibility for substance use disorders (SUDs) in later life. Little research has been conducted on parenting experiences of mothers in recovery from substance use, taking into account their own upbringing as a child and the potential aftermath of interpersonal childhood trauma. Methods: Through in-depth qualitative interviews, 23 mothers with SUDs reflected on parenting experiences and parent-child bonding, related to both their children and parents. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data were analyzed adopting thematic analysis. Results: Throughout the narratives, consequences of trauma on mothers' sense of self and its subsequent impact on parenting arose as salient themes. Five latent mechanisms of intergenerational trauma transmission were identified: 1) early interpersonal childhood trauma experiences in mothers; 2) trauma as a precursor of substance use; 3) substance use as a (self-fooling) enabler of parental functioning; 4) continued substance use impacting parental functioning; and 5) dysfunctional parental functioning and its relational impact upon offspring. Discussion: Findings suggest disruptive attachment can increase the vulnerability for SUDs on the one hand, but can be an expression of underlying trauma on the other, hence serving as a covert mechanism by which trauma can be transmitted across generations. Results indicate the need for preventive, attachment-based and trauma-sensitive interventions targeted at disruptive intergenerational patterns.