Abstract

The family system can play a role in substance abuse treatment, as well as in family circumstances promoting continued alcohol and drug use (e.g., Haugland, 2003; Rangarajan & Kelly, 2006). About 9.4 percent of the total U.S. population of individuals age 12 and above were classified as substance dependent or substance abusive (SAMHSA, 2006). The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates economic costs of substance abuse around $484 billion per year (NIDA, 2007). The consequences of substance abuse also involve family problems, including communication problems (Fals-Stewart & Birchler, 1998; Kelly, Halford, & Young, 2002), increased detachment (Carroll, Robinson, & Flowers, 2002), verbal aggressiveness (Straus & Sweet, 1992), and physical abuse (Testa, Quigley, & Leonard, 2003; Wekerle & Wall, 2002). Spouses of substance abusers are frequently affected in terms of both physical and mental health (e.g., Hurcom, Coppello, & Orford, 2000). Children of alcoholics are at greater risk for behavioral, psychological, cognitive, and neuropsychological deficits (Johnson & Leff, 1999). Parents of adolescent substance abusers may be perceived as more controlling and less loving (e.g., Pandina & Schuele, 1983), and family members may influence continued substance abuse (e.g., Copello, Velleman, & Templeton, 2005; Rotunda, West, & O'Farrell, 2004).