Support Needs of Kinship Caregivers Raising Children Due to Parental Substance Use Disorder: A Mixed-Methods Study

To understand the support needs of kinship caregivers (KCs) who are raising children due to parental substance use disorder (SUD).

A mixed-method approach was used to collect data through an anonymous online survey (N = 95) and semi-structured interviews (N = 20). Findings were integrated to identify points of convergence.

The KCs' top four caregiver support needs identified by the survey were helping children deal with traumatic experiences, maintaining the children's relationship with their parent while protecting them from possible associated risks, developing strong and trusting relationships with the children, and navigating complicated systems on behalf of children. Higher family coping skills were associated with increased family functioning (p = 0.001) and KC physical health difficulties attributed to caring for the children were associated with decreased family functioning (p = 0.024). Additional support needs were identified in interview data: dealing with disruptions caused by parental SUD, modifying family life to accommodate caregiving responsibilities, and navigating the relationship between KC and parent(s). Integration of quantitative and qualitative data revealed three major areas of KC support needs: caring for the child, caring for themselves, and caring for the whole family.

Family well-being and functioning in the context of parental SUD might be enhanced with interventions tailored to meet the specific support needs of KCs.