Abstract:
South Africa faces the detrimental effects of problematic substance use. The
Community Oriented Substance Use Program (COSUP) is a research-based,
community-situated harm-reduction program. The International Classification
of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) was used as the framework to
develop a unique tool to determine the functioning of COSUP clients. The
study was a quantitative descriptive, cross-sectional design, with data
collected from COSUP sites during January 2023 using the COSUP Client
Functioning Tool. Twenty-three Likert-scale structured closed questions about
clients’ perceptions of their functioning and context were analyzed using
descriptive statistics. Open-ended questions about COSUP services were
thematically analyzed. Most COSUP clients are working-age African males, and
many are unemployed. Clients seem to be coping well physically but need
more mental health support. Pressing concerns for COSUP clients are feeling
stressed and anxious, an inability to handle stress, poor use of free time, not
getting support from others, and not having enough money to meet daily
needs. Lack of energy and boredom are significant concerns, along with
feelings of rejection and loneliness. Facilitating opportunities for sustaining
livelihoods requires focus. Even so, there are those who have a sense of hope
due to the positive impact of the program. Basing the COSUP Client
Functioning Tool on the ICF framework provided a useful picture of the
functioning of people who use/d drugs in their contexts. The COSUP Tool is
helpful to guide interventions that are responsive to clients’ needs.
