Learn to Cope is a support group based in Massachusetts for family members of people who primarily use opioids. The goals of this group are to increase knowledge about overdoses, conduct prevention trainings, and provide naloxone rescue kits (OEN). The objective of this study was to describe the benefits and motivations of family members who receive OEN and specify the frequency of naloxone used during an overdose rescue.

OEN began in 2007 and soon became one of the first organizations to offer OEN training. OEN training lasts about 20 minutes and includes education on how to recognize and respond to an overdose. The program emphasizes the importance of involvement from family members and provides potential opportunities to save lives.

The cross-sectional study provided OEN training at eight different sites. Participants completed a survey at the end of the 20 minute training to assess experience with overdose and motivation to receive OEN.

Among the 126 individuals with complete survey data, 52% financially supported their loved one and 50% reported daily contact. Those who received the OEN training were more likely to be a parent, apply to court-mandated treatment, attend more meetings, and witness an overdose. 72% of trainees reported wanting to have a naloxone kit in the household, and 57% heard about the benefits from other Learn to Cope members.

Trainees reported a greater sense of security, improved confidence to handle an overdose, and a greater understanding of overdose prevention and management. 22% of participants did not want OEN due to believing the training was not necessary or that they would not use the kit. Thirty-seven participants reported they had witnessed an overdose, and five participants administered naloxone to a family member or stranger after being trained through Learn to Cope. Due to the use of the naloxone kit, 4 of 5 overdoses restored breathing and individuals were responsive until an ambulance arrived.

Policymakers should consider mobilizing family members as part of the response to the opioid overdose epidemic and make efforts to empower family members who might feel stigmatized and isolated. OEN programs at support groups should be considered a part of an overdose prevention public health strategy. Programs such as these have the potential to provide education which could lead in an increase in confidence, and reduce the likelihood of fatal opioid overdoses.

Bagley, S. M., Peterson, J., Cheng, D. M., Jose, C., Quinn, E., O’Connor, P. G., & Walley, A. Y. (2015). Overdose Education and Naloxone Rescue Kits for Family Members of Individuals Who Use Opioids: Characteristics, Motivations, and Naloxone Use. Substance abuse, 36(2), 149–154. doi:10.1080/08897077.2014.989352

Kinship care placements have become an important part of the child welfare system due to the lack of adequate foster care homes for maltreated youth. Kinship care is generally defined as providing full-time nurturing and protected care to a child by relatives or those who have “family-like” relationships with a child. These relationships are often categorized into formal or informal arrangements. Formal arrangements involve public child welfare agencies arranging legal custody of children, while informal arrangements exclude government involvement.

In recent years, more research has studied the lasting effects of trauma for maltreated youth. As a result, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has made efforts to develop models of trauma-informed care. Also, child welfare agencies have been offering trauma-informed parenting programs. Unfortunately, there have been few programs specific for kinship caregivers, leaving questions about what kinship caregivers know about childhood trauma. A recent study examined three research questions: 1) “How do kinship caregivers perceive their knowledge and the knowledge of other kinship caregivers about child trauma?”, 2) “What are the relationships between kinship caregivers’ knowledge about child trauma, reported demographic characteristics, and background training in child trauma?”, and 3) “Is there a difference in kinship caregivers’ perceived knowledge and actual knowledge about child trauma?”.

In the study, researchers collected data from 130 kinship caregivers through online surveys that included the definition of child trauma, training about child trauma and its effectiveness, and both perceived and actual knowledge of child trauma. The vast majority of the caregivers were grandparents (n= 111), while 19 identified as an aunt or uncle to the child. To assess how helpful the training was in understanding child trauma, participants were asked to rank on a Likert-type scale as 1=” Very Unhelpful and 5=” Very Helpful”. Results showed that participants rated their self-knowledge and perceived knowledge of child trauma higher after given more exposure to child trauma training.

Most of the participants in the study were White (95.4%) and about 87% were married. Descriptive findings also indicated that on average, participants had been in a kinship care-giving role for nearly five years. The study suggests that most kinship caregivers (90%) receive some training about child trauma, and that many caregivers knew more about trauma than they thought. However, some groups of kinship caregivers knew more than others, caregivers who were more educated knew more about child trauma.

Agencies are considering mandating trauma assessments to children entering kinship care to ensure a minimum level of understanding. This study, one of the first to focus on this important topic, suggests that these trainings can be helpful for kinship caregivers’ knowledge about trauma, which may improve the lives of the children that they care for.

Reference:

Miller, J., Koh, E., Niu, C., Bode, M., & Moody, S. (2019). Examining child trauma knowledge among kin caregivers: Implications for practice, policy, and research. Children and Youth Services Review, 100, 112-118.