Experiences and support needs of adults living with substance use disorders during the COVID-19 lockdown in Mamelodi

Abstract

In the global spectrum substance use has substantially increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and substance use was reported as a way to cope with anxiety concerning the COVID-19 lockdown. In South Africa, the prolonged effects of lockdowns on psychosocial support services resulted in decreased availability of services aimed at assisting persons living with substance use disorders and these changes in service provision seemed to precipitate relapse. Prior to the COVID- 19 pandemic, people living with substance use disorders in South Africa, had limited access to harm reduction services, the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent lockdown, created new challenges in providing treatment, care and support to people living with substance use disorder. The negative effects of COVID-19 on services aimed at assisting persons living with substance use disorders, needed to be investigated hence patient disengagement and attrition from treatment increased during this period. Evidence-based knowledge is needed to locally and internationally reporting on how substance use disorders were affected by COVID-19 lockdown, and to highlight more effective ways to prepare for future emergencies. This study intended to contribute to an emerging body of literature reporting on adults living with substance use disorders within the South African context during the COVID-19 lockdown particularly in Mamelodi Township. A qualitative research approach was adopted to explore and contextualise the experiences and support needs of adults living with substance use disorders during the COVID-19 lockdown in Mamelodi Township. This was achieved by conducting face to face semi-structured interviews with ten (10) participants (9 males and 1 female) residing in Mamelodi township, between the ages of (19-35) years living with substance use disorders, who were selected through the usage of purposive sampling technique. An interview guide with open-ended questions was utilized as an instrument to collect data from research participants. The thematic analysis method was utilized in the study to assist in reaching a holistic understanding of the phenomenon being studied. In carrying out this study ethical requirements such as informed consent, debriefing, beneficence, confidentiality, and proper record keeping were adhered to as well as the avoidance of harm. The study also employed the contextual research design to extensively explore the experiences and support needs of adults living with substance use disorders during the COVID-19 lockdown in Mamelodi township. The findings of the study confirmed that there was limited support for adults living with substance use disorder during COVID-19 lockdown in Mamelodi. Access to community-based support services was quite limited due to lockdown regulations and participants ii had to rely mainly on the support that they got form their families and other local organisation such as churches, NGOs etc for support during the difficult period of COVID-19 lockdown. Contingency measures need to be put in place to ensure the continuity of uninterrupted services community-based support services in times of a pandemic in future.