| dc.description.abstract |
Background: Men's alcohol misuse does not occur in a vacuum but has a cascade of consequences for families and
children, with ties to violence, poor parenting, and poor partner and child mental health. Despite the intersection
of individual and interpersonal problems associated with men's alcohol use, studies exploring the impact of men's
completion of alcohol misuse treatment on family and family member outcomes are scarce. Here we begin to
explore this question.
Methods: We conducted qualitative interviews (N ¼ 13) with female partners and children (8–17 years) of men
with problem drinking who completed individual treatment targeting alcohol misuse, depressed mood, and
family-focused efforts in Eldoret, Kenya. Interviews and thematic content analysis were guided by ecological transactional systems theory.
Results: Findings highlighted positive perceived changes for men, families, women and children that interacted
together in a bi-directional pathway. Partners and children described men's reduced drinking, reduced spending,
increased family-focused effort (e.g., coming home early), as well as increased emotion regulation, and openness
to and communication with family. These changes were tied to perceived improvements in the couple and father child relationship, including improved trust and time together, which were tied to improvements in women and
children's emotional well-being (e.g., hope). Concurrently, reports noted men's increased effort to share money
earned with the family which alleviated financial stress and helped ensure basic needs were met. Results aligned
with the ecological transactional systems frame, with individuals in the family, family relationships, and eco nomic climate each dynamically shaping each other.
Conclusions: Although larger studies are needed, results provide promising signals regarding the potential
downstream effects of individual treatment on family systems and members, which may in turn help maintain
men's changes in drinking. |
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