Needs of Spouses of Patients with Substance Use Disorder: A Qualitative Study

Author(s):  
Shiva Soraya ◽  
Mandana Haghshenas ◽  
Hamid Reza Ahmadkhaniha ◽  
Somayeh Azarnik ◽  
Hossein MansourKiaei ◽  
...  

Background: The skill of adjusting and regulating the needs and adaptation are the most fundamental abilities of family members. Since substance use related disorders create serious health threats and cost burdens for family, it is important to investigate the needs of spouses of these patients. Regarding the wide spectrum of needs based on previous researches, the psychiatric needs were the focus in this study. By evaluating the needs, the executives of social services can better determine the basic needs of patients and their family members. Methods: This is a qualitative study applying a content analysis approach. Based on the objectives of this research, purposeful sampling was done and continued until information saturation. In total, 16 spouses of patients using substance were interviewed. Initial interviews began with guiding questions and the probing questions were applied in the following interviews. Participants’ emotions were coded and codes with similar concepts were placed together in one category and subcategories were created. Results: After conducting 16 in-depth interviews, 38 initial codes were obtained and categorized into 6 key concepts (Neglecting the reciprocal roles and rights, lack of responsibility, lack of motivation, psychiatric changes due to substance use, feelings of insecurity, and defective communication). Conclusion: The present study paves the way in better understanding of the needs of the spouses of patients with substance use disorder, and enables the specialists in this area to adjust the treatment according to each individual patient and evaluate emerging patient related issues and challenges as well. Substance dependence, in addition to making problems for the individual and the society, leads to unsatisfied needs of close family members and acquaintances. In other words, treatment will be more effective if each patient is recognized individually, the family is educated, and family-level interventions are provided.

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Soklaridis ◽  
Ayelet Kuper ◽  
Cynthia R. Whitehead ◽  
Genevieve Ferguson ◽  
Valerie H. Taylor ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the experiences of gender bias among women hospital CEOs and explore to what these female leaders attribute their success within a male-dominated hospital executive leadership milieu. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study involved 12 women hospital CEOs from across Ontario, Canada. Purposeful sampling techniques and in-depth qualitative interview methods were used to facilitate discussion around experiences of gender and leadership. Findings Responses fell into two groups: the first group represented the statement “Gender inequality is alive and well”. The second group reflected the statement “Gender inequity is not significant, did not happen to me, and things are better now”. This group contained a sub-group with no consciousness of systemic discrimination and that claimed having no gendered experiences in their leadership journey. The first group described gender issues in various contexts, from the individual to the systemic. The second group was ambivalent about gender as a factor impacting leadership trajectories. Originality/value Representations of women’s leadership have become detached from feminism, with major consequences for women. This study reveals how difficult it is for some women CEOs to identify gender bias. The subtle everyday norms and practices within the workplace make it difficult to name and explain gender bias explicitly and may explain the challenges in understanding how it might affect a woman’s career path.


Author(s):  
Timothy Wilens ◽  
Nicholas Carrellas ◽  
Joseph Biederman

There has been great interest in the overlap between ADHD and substance use disorder (SUD). ADHD is a common neurobehavioural disorder of childhood that places the individual at elevated risk for later SUD. Studies have shown that 25–40% of adults and adolescents with SUD have ADHD. Although the exact link between the two disorders is still unclear, it appears their connection is complex, and involves the interplay between various biological, behavioural, and genetic factors. Early pharmacotherapy of ADHD does not increase SUD, and, in fact, appears to reduce cigarette smoking and SUD. In individuals with ADHD and SUD, stabilization of SUD is recommended initially, with consideration of adjunct non-stimulant and extended release stimulant medications. More research on the mechanisms of overlap between the disorders, preventative effects of early ADHD treatment on SUD, and concurrent treatments for ADHD and SUD are necessary.


Author(s):  
Dennis C. Daley ◽  
Antoine B. Douaihy

This practitioner guide reviews screening, assessment, and treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs). It is designed to accompany Managing Your Substance Use Disorder: Client Workbook and A Family Guide to Coping with Substance Use Disorders. The latter guide was added because each person with a SUD affects the family and concerned significant others. The information and strategies that the authors present can be used with clients who have any type of SUD. The guide focuses on strategies to reduce or stop substance use and change behaviors that challenge recovery. The information presented is derived from research, clinical, and recovery literature and from the authors’ extensive experience developing and managing a large continuum of clinical services, providing direct care, conducting quality improvement initiatives, participating in clinical trials, and teaching all disciplines in a large medical center and the community. This guide discusses professional approaches and attitudes toward individuals with SUDs, assessment, diagnostic formulation, psychosocial and pharmacotherapeutic treatments, and mutual support programs. It provides an overview of the recovery and relapse processes and practical strategies to address issues associated with SUDs. This guide is for practitioners from any discipline who encounter individuals with SUDs in addiction, mental health, psychiatric, private practice, or other settings such as social services and the criminal justice system. Even medical practitioners who do not specialize in addiction treatment can benefit from the information in this guide because individuals with SUDs are found in all types of healthcare settings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jóna Ólafsdóttir ◽  
Steinunn Hrafnsdóttir ◽  
Tarja Orjasniemi

Aims: This research was designed to explore the extent to which the use of alcohol or drugs by one member of a family affects the psychosocial state of other family members. The study asks whether family members of substance abusers are more likely to report increased depression, anxiety and stress then the general population in Iceland? Are there significant differences between family members; e.g., spouses, parents, adult children and siblings by gender, age, education and income? Data and methods: The instrument used for this purpose is the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), which is designed to measure those three related mental states. It was administered to 143 participants (111 women and 32 men) with ages ranging from 19–70 years on the first day of a four-week group therapy programme for relatives of substance use disorder (SUD) at The Icelandic National Centre for Addiction Treatment (SÁÁ) from August 2015 to April 2016. Thirty participants are adult children of a parent with SUD, 47 are a spouse, 56 are parents of a child with SUD and 10 are siblings. The subscales of the DASS for depression, anxiety, and stress were utilised to examine which family member – parent, child, partner, or sibling – presented the behaviour associated with SUD. Results: 36% or more of the respondents in all three subscales had average, serious, or very serious depression, anxiety, and/or stress. This is higher than in DASS studies of the general population in Iceland. However, the analysis indicates that it made little difference to the family’s wellbeing which family member was affected by SUD.


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