Family models of addiction: evaluation, trends and cultural context

• Main Authors: T P Swathi, Narayanan Gitanjali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2017-01-01
• Series: Archives of Mental Health
• Subjects: addiction; family; systemic perspective addiction; attachment addiction; cultural beliefs; india addiction
• Online Access: http://www.amhonline.org/article.asp?issn=2589-9171;year=2017;volume=18;issue=1;spage=57;epage=60;aulast=Swathi;type=0

The family context provides an important developmental platform to understand the origin, maintenance and intergenerational transmission of addictive behaviors. The current report highlights different family perspectives such as the systemic, attachment and narrative. Localizing these within the Indian context with social and cultural beliefs of substance use has been discussed. Contextualizing the family approach to addiction through an integrated framework further adds merit to this model. The report helps to sensitize researchers and clinicians to conceptualize substance use in terms of parent-child interactions, family of origin dynamics, adverse childhood experiences which, would help to develop more specific intervention plans.