The paternal involvement of Chinese drug abusers: An exploratory study in Hong Kong

Abstract

This study attempted to investigate the relationship of drug abusers' performance in fathering, drug use status, self-esteem, and marital satisfaction in a convenience sample of 125 drug abusers referred by a social service agency that is serving ex-offenders. The Chinese Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale, the Chinese Dyadic Adjustment Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Inventory of Father Involvement were used to measure respondents' marital satisfaction, self-esteem, and paternal involvement. Drug abusers' self-esteem and marital satisfaction were highly significantly associated with their paternal involvement. There was no significant correlation between the respondents' paternal involvement and duration of drug abuse and their status as an active user, a methadone user, or being abstinent from drugs. The study concludes that a shift of emphasis to improving drug abusers' self-esteem and marital relationship to strengthen their paternal involvement may be a new possibility for drug treatment.