Trauma-Informed Family and Societal Recovery Model (TIFSRM): Examining the link between childhood adversity, trauma, and substance use disorders

This study set out to examine the link between trauma exposure and substance use within the context of the Ghanaian society. It employed the Trauma-Informed Family and Societal Recovery Model (TIFSRM) which was developed with the aim of integrating trauma, family and societal factors during the process of recovery from substance use addiction. TIFSRM is a new framework that combines trauma, family systems, and societal factors in the context of addiction recovery and emphasizes a more integrative and community-centered approach to treatment.

The study was designed as a cross-sectional quantitative study. There were 1,007 study participants including health workers, recoverees, relatives, counselors, mental health activists, and traditional medicine practitioners. Purposive sampling was used to collect data from a wide range of respondents so that multiple viewpoints of trauma and recovery can be captured. The TIFSRM- Quant was used to collect data and the questionnaire was distributed electronically. Statistical analysis was conducted in SPSS Software and JASP. The analysis included descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis. Ethical approval was sought and all participants gave their consent before the commencement of the study.

The findings suggest that there is a substantial association (r =.792, p < .01) between adverse experiences during childhood (for example, abuse and neglect) and the occurrence of substance use disorders, which shows that trauma from childhood greatly affects the likelihood of addiction. Furthermore, a significant correlation (r = .775, p < .01) was found between recognizing trauma as a contributing factor and the belief that addressing trauma is essential for recovery, affirming the relevance of trauma-informed interventions. These results validate TIFSRM as a robust framework for understanding addiction within Ghana’s unique familial and societal structures.

The study underscores the necessity of creating and implementing trauma-informed approaches to an addiction treatment framework, moving away from punitive measures and toward a broad-based paradigm, and training professionals to use sensitive methods to address trauma. Engaging TIFSRM in the wider conversation on global approaches to addiction recovery contributes to the attempts to link Western trauma-informed approaches to the African-centered rehabilitation model of recovery.