Children's addiction to the drug "nyaope" in Soshanguve township : parents' experiences and support needs

Abstract

Substance abuse amongst children is a major problem in South Africa and world-wide. The trend of new drugs entering the drug market has increased in South Africa. Currently in South Africa, there is a new drug on the market known as “nyaope” being abused mostly by adolescents in the Townships. The negative consequences of substance abuse affect not only individuals who abuse substances but also their parents and significant others. The researcher observed that most literature in the field of substance abuse focuses on the children addressing issues such as causes, effects, psychological impact and others. Very little is documented on parents‟ experiences and coping capabilities as well as the support they need or receive. This further contributed to the researcher‟s purpose of conduct this study to explore parents‟ experience and support needs with regard to their children‟s addiction to nyaope.