The following interview is designed to tap issues and concerns frequently associated with grandparents whose adult children are abusing substances. The PSACI can be used to begin discussion about grandparents’ common psychological issues and identify useful therapeutic interventions. There interview comprises:

(1) Ten attitude statements. Clients should rate themselves on each one, so the therapist can have a sense of the level of anxiety, concern, and emotional upheaval experienced by the client.

(2) Five sentence completion items, which are a semi-projective task that taps into clients’ experience of situations at the cognitive, affective, and behavioral level. These items can be administered verbally or in written form.

(3) A brief interview section to get a sense of where the client is currently on the issue of adult children who are abusing substances and the consequences for grandparenting.

PART A: Attitude Scale Please circle the number that represents how much you agree with each statement using the following scale.

1 = Strongly Disagree (SD) 2 = Disagree (D) 3 = Agree (A) 4 = Strongly Agree (SA)

1  2  3  4   (1) I’m angry that my son/daughter put me in this situation.
1  2  3  4   (2) Dealing with my child’s problems is causing me serious financial problems.
1  2  3  4   (3) I can’t get off work to take care of my grandchild(ren).
1  2  3  4   (4) I love my grandchild(ren), but I don’t have the energy to be a parent all over again.
1  2  3  4   (5) I feel guilty that I am so angry with my child for taking drugs and putting me through this.
1  2  3  4   (6) I’m ashamed of my adult child for his/her lack of self-control over substances.
1  2  3  4   (7) I’ve raised my child(ren) and I am not prepared to go through that again.
1  2  3  4   (8) I resent being put in a situation where I have to take on my child(ren)’s responsibilities.
1  2  3  4   (9) I feel like a failure because my adult child is addicted to substances.
1  2  3  4   (10) I’m concerned that I’ll do a poor job of caring for my grandchild(ren) if I take on this responsibility.

PART B: Sentence Completion Task Please complete each of the following phrases with a sentence that describes your feelings.

(1) My son/daughter: _____________________________________________________________
(2) I love my grandchild(ren) but: ___________________________________________________
(3) My new situation: __________________________________________________________
(4) Financially speaking: _________________________________________________________
(5) I’m embarrassed: __________________________________________________________

PART C: Personal Interview Questions

Family history of substance use:

1. Has there been substance abuse in your family history? [IF YES]: Can you tell me about this?

2. Do you think your family history has anything to do with your child’s abuse of substances? Why or why not? [IF YES]: How so? What effect has family history had on your child?

Effect on client of changed life situation:

1. What about the effect of having your child abusing substances? How has that affected you? Financially? Emotionally? Socially?

2. Tell me about the effect that taking in your grandchild(ren) is having on you? How about financially? Emotionally? Socially?

3. What changes do/will you have to undergo to be able to help your grandchildren? Are you able to make these changes? Are you prepared to make these changes?

4. What will help you to transition to the role of “grandparent actively raising grandchildren”? What assistance do you need? What support can help you to fulfill this obligation?

Sylvia Kay Fisher is a program specialist at the Center for Program Planning and Results of the U.S. Department of Labor. She was formerly a therapist and psychological evaluator. Ronnie Fisher is a retired psychology teacher and a former social worker and counselor.

This article is published in Counselor,The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, February 2004, v.5, n.1, p. 78.

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