Women's Experiences of Living with a Substance Abuse Husbands: A Phenomenological Hermeneutic Approach

Authors
Shahriar Sakhaei 1
Hossein Motaarefi 1
Amin Soheili 1
Golshan Moghbeli 1
Hassan Ebrahimpour Sadagheyani 2
1 Department of Nursing, Khoy University of Medical Sciences, Khoy, Iran.
2 Department of Health Information Technology, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran.
Abstract
Background and Aim:

Misuse of opioids addiction, as a global issue, has widespread consequences for the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual health of individuals, families, and communities.This qualitative study was designed and conducted to better explain the challenges of addiction from the lived experiences of women with addicted spouse and to gain a deep understanding of their problems.

Materials and Methods:

In this research, the hermeneutic phenomenology approach was used as a qualitative method to understand and interpret the meanings of the life experiences of women with addicted husbands. 12 wives of addicted men who visited the psychiatric clinic in Khoy were selected through purposive sampling and participated in the study until data saturation was reached. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured individual interviews. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the constant comparative method and Graneheim & Lundman's approach.

Findings:

The analysis of the extracted interviews revealed four main concepts and fifteen sub-concepts, the main themes of which were "Deficiencies in maintaining health and hygiene functions," "Psychosocial disorders," "Communication impairments, spiritual distress," and "Impaired resilience and ineffective coping."

Conclusion:

The findings of the study indicate that wives of men addicted to Misuse of opioids experience a wide range of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual stresses in different dimensions of life.
Keywords
Misuse of opioids addiction
Wife
life experiences
qualitative study
phenomenology hermeneutics
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