Assessing the methods of identification, the availability of school-based support, and the perceived barriers to providing support for children of substance abusing parents.

摘要

The current study investigated the methods that school counselors utilize to identify children of substance abusing parents (COSAPs), the support services being offered in the school, and the potential barriers to providing support to COSAPs in the school. This study revealed the most used methods of identifying COSAPs in the schools, for instance teacher referral, behavioral characteristics, and self-referral of COSAPs, as well as some major differences between the use of the identification methods and the reported helpfulness of the methods. Results demonstrated that there are a variety of support services available for youth, mostly indirect services such as individual counseling, coping skills, and feeling identification and expression. Direct services were less available to COSAPs, and school counselors in this study did not perceive these as helpful supports for COSAPs. Additionally, the school support barriers school counselors perceived to interfere (or not) with the provision of support to COSAPs were explored. The biggest barriers for providing services to COSAPs in the school reported by participants was a lack of funding and COSAPs parents’ inability to pay for mental health services. The influence of formal training and years of experience as an educator were explored in relation to the three main constructs of identification, support, and barriers. This study provides empirical data for the current status of school-based support available to COSAPs nationwide. By understanding how to best identify these youth, what services are available to COSAPs in the schools (and those that are not), and the barriers that interfere with providing support, school counselors can begin to develop effective prevention and intervention programs that best serve COSAPs and foster resiliency in these youth. A summary, implications and recommendations for further research are provided.