A thematic analysis of caregiver engagement in adolescent substance use treatment

AI Summary

Caregiver engagement is essential to adolescent SUD treatment but is frequently limited in routine practice.
Three themes emerged: motivations for treatment initiation, caregiver conceptualisations of involvement, and barriers and facilitators to engagement.
Recommend early substance use screening and caregiver-focused interventions emphasising motivation and psychoeducation to enhance engagement and support adolescent recovery.

Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2026 May 5. doi: 10.1186/s13722-026-00669-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: While caregiver engagement is a critical component of adolescent substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, it is often limited in practice. Existing research on barriers and facilitators to caregiver engagement has predominately focused on clinician perspectives of caregiver engagement. This study sought to synthesize caregivers’ perspectives on their involvement in adolescent SUD treatment.

METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 caregivers (including parents and legal guardians) of adolescents who participated in an outpatient SUD treatment program in the past year. A hybrid inductive-deductive coding approach using an iterative and concurrent process was utilized to identify themes related to caregiver engagement.

FINDINGS: Thematic analysis identified three themes related to caregiver engagement: Caregiver Motivations for Treatment Initiation, Conceptualizations of Caregiver Involvement in Adolescent SUD Treatment, and Barriers and Facilitators of Caregiver Engagement.

CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for early substance use screening and intervention development targeting caregivers’ motivation and psychoeducation on the benefits of caregiver engagement in adolescent SUD treatment and recovery.

PMID:42087167 | DOI:10.1186/s13722-026-00669-z

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