A Web-Based Well-Being and Resilience Intervention for Family Members and Friends Supporting a Loved One Using...

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Interventions
• Addiction Support
• Family Well-being

Background:

• Affected friends and family members (AFFMs) face significant psychosocial challenges when supporting loved ones with alcohol and other drugs (AOD).
• A scarcity of tailored mental health and well-being interventions exists for AFFMs.
• Stigma and privacy concerns often deter AFFMs from seeking traditional support services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the usability, acceptability, and feasibility of the Family and Friend Support Program (FFSP), a novel web-based resilience and well-being program.
• To explore the experiences of AFFMs in caring for a loved one using AOD.
• To investigate AFFMs' help-seeking behaviors and barriers to accessing support.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 131 AFFMs in Australia.
• Baseline web-based surveys assessed the impact of caregiving and psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale [K-10]).
• Participants engaged with the FFSP over 10 weeks, followed by postprogram surveys and semistructured interviews.

Main Results:

• Participants reported moderate to severe distress at baseline (mean K-10 score 28.4).
• The majority (55.1%) did not seek help, with cost being a primary barrier (28.6%).
• The FFSP was found to be easy to use, providing relevant and validating information; 71.5% would recommend it.

Conclusions:

• The FFSP is a promising, accessible mental health intervention for AFFMs, addressing a critical need for support.
• The study confirms high distress levels in AFFMs and identifies persistent barriers to help-seeking.
• Future research should focus on refining the FFSP to improve engagement and reduce attrition for efficacy evaluation.