Navigating relationships and tensions: how professionals who treat substance use disorders view their role in preventing child abuse and neglect

Child Protection and Practice Pub Date : 2025-04-23 DOI:10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100164

Paulo Padilla-Petry, Nuria Fuentes-Peláez, Anna Fantova-Romero

{"title":"Navigating relationships and tensions: how professionals who treat substance use disorders view their role in preventing child abuse and neglect","authors":"Paulo Padilla-Petry, Nuria Fuentes-Peláez, Anna Fantova-Romero","doi":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100164","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The potential negative effects of caregivers’ substance use disorders (SUDs) on their parenting are well documented, but the intervention of healthcare professionals treating these disorders in cases of child abuse and neglect (CAN) is constrained by ethical dilemmas and mistrust of child welfare services (CWS). Many studies have explored the synergies between SUD treatments and developing parenting skills, but few studies have explored these professionals' diverse perceptions and experiences – ranging from doubts and challenges to constructive ideas and practices that address parenting and treatment needs.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to explore healthcare professionals' perceptions and experiences regarding the tensions, obstacles, opportunities and good practices related to detecting potential CAN and promoting changes in their patients’ parenting.</div></div><div><h3>Participants and setting</h3><div>Twenty healthcare professionals from various services within the Catalan Drug Abuse Care Centre Network (Spain) participated in the study.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Two focus groups discussed the issues and good practices surrounding the detection and intervention in possible cases of CAN. The transcriptions underwent reflexive thematic analysis building 7 themes.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>The participants cited reasons for not intervening in their patients' parenting. They discussed the importance and fragility of the therapeutic bond, structural deficiencies in their services, and the challenges of working with CWS. They also described conditions and practices that help improve caregivers’ parenting such as restoring damaged bonds.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The full range of healthcare professionals' experiences and perceptions regarding their patients’ parenting and child welfare must be contemplated in programs aimed at integrating family support with the treatment of SUDs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100237,"journal":{"name":"Child Protection and Practice","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100164"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Child Protection and Practice","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950193825000713","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

The potential negative effects of caregivers’ substance use disorders (SUDs) on their parenting are well documented, but the intervention of healthcare professionals treating these disorders in cases of child abuse and neglect (CAN) is constrained by ethical dilemmas and mistrust of child welfare services (CWS). Many studies have explored the synergies between SUD treatments and developing parenting skills, but few studies have explored these professionals' diverse perceptions and experiences – ranging from doubts and challenges to constructive ideas and practices that address parenting and treatment needs.

Objective

This study aimed to explore healthcare professionals' perceptions and experiences regarding the tensions, obstacles, opportunities and good practices related to detecting potential CAN and promoting changes in their patients’ parenting.

Participants and setting

Twenty healthcare professionals from various services within the Catalan Drug Abuse Care Centre Network (Spain) participated in the study.

Methods

Two focus groups discussed the issues and good practices surrounding the detection and intervention in possible cases of CAN. The transcriptions underwent reflexive thematic analysis building 7 themes.

Findings

The participants cited reasons for not intervening in their patients' parenting. They discussed the importance and fragility of the therapeutic bond, structural deficiencies in their services, and the challenges of working with CWS. They also described conditions and practices that help improve caregivers’ parenting such as restoring damaged bonds.

Conclusion

The full range of healthcare professionals' experiences and perceptions regarding their patients’ parenting and child welfare must be contemplated in programs aimed at integrating family support with the treatment of SUDs.

查看原文本刊更多论文

驾驭关系和紧张：治疗药物使用障碍的专业人员如何看待他们在防止儿童虐待和忽视方面的作用

照顾者物质使用障碍（SUDs）对其养育子女的潜在负面影响已被充分记录，但在虐待和忽视儿童（CAN）的情况下，医疗保健专业人员对这些障碍的干预受到伦理困境和对儿童福利服务（CWS）的不信任的限制。许多研究探讨了SUD治疗与培养育儿技能之间的协同作用，但很少有研究探讨这些专业人员的不同看法和经验——从怀疑和挑战到解决育儿和治疗需求的建设性想法和实践。目的本研究旨在探讨医护人员在发现潜在的CAN和促进患者父母教育变化方面的紧张、障碍、机会和良好做法的看法和经验。来自加泰罗尼亚药物滥用护理中心网络（西班牙）不同服务部门的20名医疗保健专业人员参加了这项研究。方法两个焦点小组讨论了围绕CAN病例的检测和干预的问题和良好做法。对谱子进行反身性主题分析，构建7个主题。研究结果参与者列举了不干预患者育儿的原因。他们讨论了治疗纽带的重要性和脆弱性，他们服务中的结构性缺陷，以及与CWS一起工作的挑战。他们还描述了有助于改善照顾者养育子女的条件和做法，例如修复受损的关系。结论：在将家庭支持与sud治疗相结合的方案中，必须全面考虑医疗保健专业人员对患者养育和儿童福利的经验和看法。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Child Protection and Practice

自引率

0.00%

发文量