Coping With a Loved One’s Substance Use Disorder or Gambling Disorder: What Strategies Really Help?

Abstract

Family members of people with substance use or gambling disorders (SUD/GD) struggle to cope with ongoing impacts to family life. Effective coping is critical, but it is unclear which strategies are helpful for family members, as research is lacking. Female spouses or partners of people with SUD/GD (N = 211) reported helpfulness and use of engaged, tolerant, and withdrawal coping strategies. Withdrawal coping was most helpful, and commonly used. Some engaged coping strategies were unhelpful but frequently used. Coping is complex; research is needed into effective coping for differing goals and contexts. Professionals should empower family members to use strategies helpful to their well-being.

Keywords:

• Substance use disorder
• gambling disorder
• family
• coping
• stress
• helpfulness of coping

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse under training grant T32 DA15035, and by the U.S. Department of Justice under grant R49 CE-001510.

Notes on contributors

Megan M. Petra

Megan Petra conducts research about substance use disorders, gambling disorders, and family violence, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Dr. Petra is especially interested in how families cope with the situation, given complicating factors such as intimate partner violence or membership in diversity groups such as the LGBTQ community. Other research interests include social work education as well as evaluating prevention and treatment programs for substance use disorder and gambling disorder.