“This Is the Result of Something Else”: Experiences of Men That Abused Drugs and Had Experienced Childhood Trauma
Drug abuse is a serious public health issue that may have irreversible consequences. Research has revealed that childhood psychological trauma can promote addictive behaviors in adulthood and that drugs are often used as a coping mechanism. Men are less likely to report trauma and seek help than wom...
Published in: | American Journal of Men's Health |
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2021
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883211009348 https://doaj.org/article/022418b8baff48579389e1f7b9f01d08 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:022418b8baff48579389e1f7b9f01d08 2023-05-15T16:48:31+02:00 “This Is the Result of Something Else”: Experiences of Men That Abused Drugs and Had Experienced Childhood Trauma Margret Torshamar Georgsdottir Sigrun Sigurdardottir Hrafnhildur Gunnthorsdottir 2021-04-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883211009348 https://doaj.org/article/022418b8baff48579389e1f7b9f01d08 EN eng SAGE Publishing https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883211009348 https://doaj.org/toc/1557-9891 1557-9891 doi:10.1177/15579883211009348 https://doaj.org/article/022418b8baff48579389e1f7b9f01d08 American Journal of Men's Health, Vol 15 (2021) Medicine R article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883211009348 2022-12-31T15:44:08Z Drug abuse is a serious public health issue that may have irreversible consequences. Research has revealed that childhood psychological trauma can promote addictive behaviors in adulthood and that drugs are often used as a coping mechanism. Men are less likely to report trauma and seek help than women. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experience of men in Iceland who have abused drugs and experienced childhood psychological trauma, to increase knowledge and deepen the understanding of trauma and addiction. Participants were seven men who had both experienced childhood trauma and had a history of drug abuse. Two interviews were conducted with each participant. The main findings suggest that participants abused drugs as a coping mechanism due to the trauma experienced in childhood. For some participants, seeking companionship was a key component of their drug use. Participants were mostly dissatisfied with treatment resources in Iceland; waiting lists were long and too much focus was on religion. Five main themes were identified: emotional impact, self-medication for pain, gender expectations, impermanence of thoughts, and loss of a sense of wholeness. Increased societal and professional awareness of the linkage between trauma and drug abuse is needed, as are additional resources specific to men who have experienced childhood trauma and drug abuse. It is important to integrate trauma focused services into health-care settings to educate health-care professionals on trauma and the consequences thereof, in addition to utilizing screening tools such as the Adverse Childhood Experience Questionnaire for those seeking assistance. Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles American Journal of Men's Health 15 2 155798832110093 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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Medicine R |
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Medicine R Margret Torshamar Georgsdottir Sigrun Sigurdardottir Hrafnhildur Gunnthorsdottir “This Is the Result of Something Else”: Experiences of Men That Abused Drugs and Had Experienced Childhood Trauma |
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Medicine R |
description |
Drug abuse is a serious public health issue that may have irreversible consequences. Research has revealed that childhood psychological trauma can promote addictive behaviors in adulthood and that drugs are often used as a coping mechanism. Men are less likely to report trauma and seek help than women. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experience of men in Iceland who have abused drugs and experienced childhood psychological trauma, to increase knowledge and deepen the understanding of trauma and addiction. Participants were seven men who had both experienced childhood trauma and had a history of drug abuse. Two interviews were conducted with each participant. The main findings suggest that participants abused drugs as a coping mechanism due to the trauma experienced in childhood. For some participants, seeking companionship was a key component of their drug use. Participants were mostly dissatisfied with treatment resources in Iceland; waiting lists were long and too much focus was on religion. Five main themes were identified: emotional impact, self-medication for pain, gender expectations, impermanence of thoughts, and loss of a sense of wholeness. Increased societal and professional awareness of the linkage between trauma and drug abuse is needed, as are additional resources specific to men who have experienced childhood trauma and drug abuse. It is important to integrate trauma focused services into health-care settings to educate health-care professionals on trauma and the consequences thereof, in addition to utilizing screening tools such as the Adverse Childhood Experience Questionnaire for those seeking assistance. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Margret Torshamar Georgsdottir Sigrun Sigurdardottir Hrafnhildur Gunnthorsdottir |
author_facet |
Margret Torshamar Georgsdottir Sigrun Sigurdardottir Hrafnhildur Gunnthorsdottir |
author_sort |
Margret Torshamar Georgsdottir |
title |
“This Is the Result of Something Else”: Experiences of Men That Abused Drugs and Had Experienced Childhood Trauma |
title_short |
“This Is the Result of Something Else”: Experiences of Men That Abused Drugs and Had Experienced Childhood Trauma |
title_full |
“This Is the Result of Something Else”: Experiences of Men That Abused Drugs and Had Experienced Childhood Trauma |
title_fullStr |
“This Is the Result of Something Else”: Experiences of Men That Abused Drugs and Had Experienced Childhood Trauma |
title_full_unstemmed |
“This Is the Result of Something Else”: Experiences of Men That Abused Drugs and Had Experienced Childhood Trauma |
title_sort |
“this is the result of something else”: experiences of men that abused drugs and had experienced childhood trauma |
publisher |
SAGE Publishing |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883211009348 https://doaj.org/article/022418b8baff48579389e1f7b9f01d08 |
genre |
Iceland |
genre_facet |
Iceland |
op_source |
American Journal of Men's Health, Vol 15 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883211009348 https://doaj.org/toc/1557-9891 1557-9891 doi:10.1177/15579883211009348 https://doaj.org/article/022418b8baff48579389e1f7b9f01d08 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883211009348 |
container_title |
American Journal of Men's Health |
container_volume |
15 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
155798832110093 |
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1766038600217001984 |