Correlated outcomes of a pilot intervention for people injecting drugs and their family members in Vietnam

Abstract

Background The interrelationship between the well-being of injecting drug users (IDUs) and their family environment has been widely documented. However, few intervention programs have addressed the needs of both IDUs and their family members. Methods This study describes a randomized intervention pilot targeting 83 IDUs and 83 of their family members from four communes in Phú Thọ province, Vietnam. The IDUs and family members in the intervention condition received multiple group sessions, with the intent to improve psychological well-being and family relationships. The intervention outcomes (depressive symptoms and family relations) were evaluated at baseline, 3-month and 6-month follow-up assessments. Results Depressive symptoms and family relations reported by IDUs were found to be correlated to those reported by their family members. Overall, significant intervention effects on depressive symptoms and family relations were observed for both IDUs and family members. A similar improvement pattern in family relations emerged for both the IDU and family member samples, although the intervention effect of reducing depressive symptoms was more sustainable for family members at the 6-month assessment when compared to the IDU sample. Conclusion The intervention pilot addressed challenges faced by IDUs and their family members and revealed correlated outcomes for the two groups. Findings suggest a vital need to include family members in future drug prevention and harm reduction intervention efforts.

Evaluating an intervention for family members of people who use drugs in Vietnam

“…Family functioning was examined using an adapted version of the Family Functioning Scale (Bloom, 1985;Bloom and Naar, 1994). This scale has been validated in our previous pilot study for PWUD and their family members in Vietnam (Li et al, 2014). The original scale has 75 items comprising 15 subscales, measuring family relationships in various dimensions.…”

“…Depressive symptoms were measured using a short version of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (Zung, 1965), which includes ten items assessing how often the participants feel a particular symptom of depression. This scale was also used in our previous study among family members in Vietnam (Li et al, 2014). Each of the ten items was answered using a scale ranging from 1 ¼ a little of the time to 4 ¼ most of the time.…”

“…Financial and emotional burden result from PWUD's unemployment and illness often pose an enormous impact on all aspects of the family relation and result in family dysfunction, violence, and abandonment (Feizi et al, 2019;Haggerty et al, 2008). Lack of family cohesion could greatly compromise a family's capacity to provide support for PWUD's harm reduction and behavioral change (Feng et al, 2018;Li et al, 2013;Li et al, 2014;Morita et al, 2011). It is suggested that intervention strategies should focus on establishing a harmonious family relationship to mobilize the family support and facilitate the recovery process for PWUD (Bortolon et al, 2017;Jackson et al, 2011;Lander et al, 2013).…”

Impact of family intervention on self-esteem and well-being for individuals with alcohol dependence

“…Family relationships have always been crucial for the cohesion and wellbeing of indigenous communities [9] which improves psychological well-being and family relationships. [10] Aim: To study the impact of the family intervention on self-esteem and well-being of individuals with alcohol dependence syndrome.…”

A community approach to promote healthcare services for people living with HIV who use drugs in Vietnam

“…[25][26][27] In Vietnam, public health faces severe challenges from the scourge of HIV infection intertwined with drug use. 28,29 Statistics from 2019 show that HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs reached 12.7%. Among those living with HIV, only 56.4% were aware of their HIV status, only 64% received ART, and opioid substitution therapy coverage was merely 27.4%.…”