'I don't know what we should have done differently': A qualitative study on the dilemmas of 'tough love' and toxic drugs in British Columbia, Canada.
Saved in:
| Title: | 'I don't know what we should have done differently': A qualitative study on the dilemmas of 'tough love' and toxic drugs in British Columbia, Canada. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Hawkins, Jennifer (AUTHOR), Salmon, Amy (AUTHOR), Fernando, Saranee (AUTHOR), Battle, Chris (AUTHOR), Esau, Steve (AUTHOR), Snyder, Daniel (AUTHOR), Sikora, Mike (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy. Apr2026, Vol. 33 Issue 2, p156-165. 10p. |
| Subjects: | Drug overdose, Codependency, Substance abuse, Secondary analysis, Qualitative research, Research funding, Culture, Statistical sampling, Interviewing, Family relations, Judgment sampling, Decision making, Thematic analysis, Ethics, Harm reduction, Social skills, Metropolitan areas, Rural conditions, Research methodology, Interpersonal relations, Comparative studies, Data analysis software, Drugs of abuse |
| Geographic Terms: | Canada |
| Abstract: | Background: In British Columbia, Canada, a public health emergency of unregulated drug deaths presents a fraught backdrop for concerned significant others (CSOs). Method: Community-based Participatory Action Research design. We conducted 22 semi-structured qualitative interviews with CSOs about their perceptions and experiences during the toxic drug crisis. We examined how 'tough love' constructs informed their relationships with and responses to their loved ones. Results: Understandings of tough love were widely varied and intertwined with decisions around supporting loved ones at risk of overdose. These decisions involved three main mediating factors: (1) perceived potential outcomes around the loci of various harms; (2) beliefs, attitudes and values around love and compassion, the nature of drug use, and personal agency; (3) available personal assets or social capital. Participants often displayed significant levels of uncertainty and regret that was mitigated by the psychosocial concept of 'boundaries' in contrast to codependency-derived dichotomies of tough love and enabling. Conclusion: Decisions around levels of support or engagement involve complex negotiations within a highly pressurized context of a toxic supply of illicit drugs. Inconsistently understood normative language influences confounding relational negotiations for CSOs, who require theoretical frameworks that help them negotiate decisions within their own limits and values, both moral or pragmatic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
Be the first to leave a comment!
