Feelings, Thoughts and Experiences of Caregivers of Individuals with Substance Use Disorder

Abstract

This qualitative study was carried out to determine the burden of care on Turkish caregivers of patients withsubstance use disorder. The sample included relatives of 42 patients hospitalized in the Akdeniz UniversityAlcohol and Drug Addiction Research and Application Center. Individual in-depth, open semi-structuredinterviews were used for data collection. Moreover, demographic questions and an interview guide withquestions were also used. According to the results of this study, the following themes were evaluated: difficulties experienced, coping, and needs. The findings showed that substance abuse has adverse consequencesand negatively affects both the patients and their relatives in terms of economic, psychological, and socialaspects. Furthermore, because of the social stigma of substance abuse, the families receive very limited socialsupport from the environment. This weakens the well-being of the family members and increases intrafamilyconflicts. We conclude that ensuring the well-being of the caregivers of patients with substance use disorderis useful in maintaining a successful treatment of addiction. Thus, policymakers should include the relativesof patients with substance use disorder in prevention and intervention programs to increase the effectiveness of the interventions.