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Liahaugen Flensburg, OliviaORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0002-2339-2647
Publications (5 of 5) Show all publications
Liahaugen Flensburg, O., Richert, T. & Alftberg, Å. (2025). Aging With or Aging Out of Drug Use? Older Adults’ Experiences of Aging with Long-Term Drug Use. Contemporary Drug Problems
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Aging With or Aging Out of Drug Use? Older Adults’ Experiences of Aging with Long-Term Drug Use
2025 (English)In: Contemporary Drug Problems, ISSN 0091-4509, E-ISSN 2163-1808Article in journal (Refereed) Epub ahead of print
Abstract [en]

Older adults with long-term drug use have long been overlooked in both drug research and agingresearch. More knowledge is needed about their experiences and needs. Drug use is often seen asa youth phenomenon and as something that with time leads to destructiveness and compulsion. Amore nuanced picture of who uses drugs and what the use may look like over time is necessary.There is limited insight into what it means to age with drug use, based on individuals’ own storiesand experiences. We conducted 27 semistructured interviews in Sweden with individuals aged 55or older who reported current and long-term drug use. In this article, we demonstrate how the relationship with drugs evolves over time and how the interviewees contemplate stopping or continuingtheir use. Three themes were identified: (1) Aging out of drug use: Thoughts on drug cessation. Someexpressed a desire to end their drug use. The reasons behind this varied, but there was a clear patternrelated to older age. (2) Aging with drug use: Thoughts on continued use. Some had a desire to continueusing drugs and expressed concern about how everyday life would be without them. (3) Age adapteddrug use: A change in drug use. Several participants stated that their drug consumption had changedover time and with age. Drugs no longer dominated their lives as before but still served essential functions. The themes should not be seen as rigid categories, but as fluid narratives. Understanding thisvariation provides a deeper insight into people’s often complex relationship with drugs.

Keywords
addiction, aging, drug use, life course perspective, lifestyle perspective, maturing out
National Category
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-73117 (URN)10.1177/00914509241312855 (DOI)2-s2.0-85215520167 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare
Available from: 2025-01-21 Created: 2025-01-21 Last updated: 2025-01-27Bibliographically approved
Alftberg, Å., Liahaugen Flensburg, O. & Richert, T. (2025). Åldras med långvariga narkotikaproblem. In: Hanna MacInnes & Helena Bjurbäck (Ed.), Socialt arbete med äldre människor: att se både utmaningar och möjligheter (pp. 210-228). Stockholm: Liber
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Åldras med långvariga narkotikaproblem
2025 (Swedish)In: Socialt arbete med äldre människor: att se både utmaningar och möjligheter / [ed] Hanna MacInnes & Helena Bjurbäck, Stockholm: Liber, 2025, p. 210-228Chapter in book (Other academic)
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Liber, 2025
National Category
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-73120 (URN)978-91-47-15270-4 (ISBN)
Available from: 2025-01-21 Created: 2025-01-21 Last updated: 2025-01-24Bibliographically approved
Liahaugen Flensburg, O., Richert, T. & Väfors Fritz, M. (2023). Parents of adult children with drug addiction dealing with shame and courtesy stigma. Drugs: education prevention and policy, 30(6), 563-572
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Parents of adult children with drug addiction dealing with shame and courtesy stigma
2023 (English)In: Drugs: education prevention and policy, ISSN 0968-7637, E-ISSN 1465-3370, Vol. 30, no 6, p. 563-572Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The study aims to provide insight into the lives of parents to adult children with drug addiction. We focus on how the parents' social life and interactions were affected by feelings of guilt and shame, and how they dealt with the stigma that often accompanies drug addiction. 32 semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents (age 46-70) of adult children (age 18-47) with drug addiction in Sweden. Three themes emerged (1) Experiences of guilt, shame, and courtesy stigma, (2) Impact on social life and relationships and, (3) Strategies to reduce guilt and shame. Guilt, shame, and courtesy stigma complicated and restricted the parents' social interactions. Many parents applied a selective openness, carried experiences of alienation and in some cases isolated themselves. At the same time, several parents described that they were open about their child's addiction in certain contexts. For some parents, this meant a relief from guilt and shame and an opportunity for increased social interaction. Both informal and professional support for family members of individuals with drug addiction is vital to reduce experiences of guilt, shame, and courtesy stigma.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor & Francis, 2023
Keywords
Alienation, courtesy stigma, drug addiction, parents, selective openness, shame
National Category
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-54097 (URN)10.1080/09687637.2022.2099249 (DOI)000827486300001 ()2-s2.0-85134374643 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2022-08-02 Created: 2022-08-02 Last updated: 2023-12-11Bibliographically approved
Johnson, B., Liahaugen Flensburg, O. & Capusan, A. J. (2022). Patient perspectives on depot buprenorphine treatment for opioid addiction: a qualitative interview study. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 17(1), Article ID 40.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Patient perspectives on depot buprenorphine treatment for opioid addiction: a qualitative interview study
2022 (English)In: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, E-ISSN 1747-597X, Vol. 17, no 1, article id 40Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

BACKGROUND: Recently developed buprenorphine depot injections have the potential to reduce risk for diversion and misuse, and to increase adherence with fewer visits for supervised intake. However, it is unclear how patients perceive this new form of medication. The purpose of this study was to explore patients' experiences of depot injections and their reasons for continuing, discontinuing, or declining depot injection treatment.

METHODS: We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 32 people, 14 of whom had ongoing depot injection treatment, 11 who had discontinued depot-injections and switched to other medication and seven who had declined treatment with depot formulations. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and analysed using NVivo, based on this overall stratification into three participant groups.

RESULTS: The main categories relate to the effects and side effects of the depot formulation, social and practical factors, psychological benefits and disadvantages, and interactions with treatment staff. Social and practical factors were of importance for choosing depot formulations, such as increased freedom and their making it easier to combine treatment with work and family life, as well as psychological advantages including "feeling normal". Initial withdrawal symptoms that resolved themselves after a number of injections were reported by most participants. Reliable information and patient-staff relationships characterized by trust helped patients to cope with these initial problems. Those who discontinued treatment often did so near the beginning of the treatment, reporting withdrawal symptoms and insufficient effects as the main reasons. Coercion and insufficient information contributed to a negative pharmaceutical atmosphere at one of the clinics, which may have adversely influenced perceptions of depot formulations and decreased willingness to accept and continue treatment.

CONCLUSIONS: Buprenorphine depot injections may have social, practical, and psychological benefits compared to other formulations. However, depot injections are not perceived as an attractive option by all patients. Trust, consistent and adequate information, and awareness of the implications of the pharmaceutical atmosphere should be considered when introducing new medications.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
BioMed Central, 2022
Keywords
Depot injections, Opioid addiction, Pharmaceutical atmosphere, Qualitative interviews, Treatment
National Category
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-52205 (URN)10.1186/s13011-022-00474-2 (DOI)000800128300001 ()35614466 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85130699243 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2022-06-08 Created: 2022-06-08 Last updated: 2024-02-05Bibliographically approved
Liahaugen Flensburg, O., Johnson, B., Nordgren, J., Richert, T. & Svensson, B. (2022). "Something wasn't right"-parents of children with drug problems looking back at how the troubles first began. Drugs: education prevention and policy, 29(3), 255-264
Open this publication in new window or tab >>"Something wasn't right"-parents of children with drug problems looking back at how the troubles first began
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2022 (English)In: Drugs: education prevention and policy, ISSN 0968-7637, E-ISSN 1465-3370, Vol. 29, no 3, p. 255-264Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

In this study we analyze how parents of adult children with drug use problems view the initial stages of identifying their children's troubles as a severe drug problem. We focus on the parents' accounts of the discovery process by identifying significant events in the parents' narratives through 'the micro-politics of trouble'. The study is based on an analysis of 32 semi-structured interviews with parents of adult children (aged 18+) with drug problems. Four themes emerged from the parents' narratives: (1) the first signs of a problem, (2) drug problem or teenage defiance? (3) the awakening, (4) a passing phase. The different themes show how the parents' interpretations of the situation influence their definitions and thus their actions. Early signs and indicators of something being wrong do not initially result in parents framing the situation as problematic as they are perceived as everyday concerns and dealt with as such. Our focus on the initial phase of the problem definition process and how this affects the parents may provide a better understanding of the parents' situation and needs for support. This may be of use to professionals in the fields of social work and drug treatment who meet these parents and may have a role to play in the development of support measures that can improve their situation.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor & Francis, 2022
Keywords
Discovery process, drug problems, parents, symbolic interactionism, trouble, qualitative interviews
National Category
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-41537 (URN)10.1080/09687637.2021.1897525 (DOI)000629044700001 ()2-s2.0-85102719486 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2021-04-01 Created: 2021-04-01 Last updated: 2024-02-05Bibliographically approved
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ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0002-2339-2647

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