"I can't live like that": The experience of caregiver stress of caring for a relative with substance use disorder
Background: The impact of addiction extends beyond the individual using a substance. Caring for an individual with addiction creates persistent stressful circumstances that cause worry, anger, depression, shame, guilt, anxiety, and behavioral problems within the family unit.
The aim of the study: The paper aims to explore the experiences of caring for a relative with a substance use disorder (SUD) and self-care strategies caregivers employ.
Methods: The study adopted an exploratory qualitative design. To be included in the study, participants were required to have a relative with a (SUD) disorder and not be actively using the substance themselves. Individual interviews were conducted to gather their experiences, meanings, and how they made sense of caring for a relative with a SUD.
Results: 21 Participants were involved in the study, of which 17 were women, and four were men of which there had a sister, four had a brother, eight had a parent, six had a dependent, and one participant had a grandparent with a SUD. Four themes, whose overarching focus is the pains of living and caring for a family with a SUD, caused the participants and how the participants mitigated these experiences.
Conclusion: The stress associated with caring for individuals with a SUD impacts the caregiver's physical and mental health. Specific care modalities targeting caregivers need to be developed to address the health impact and to support self-care.
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
Appendix 1: Interviewer guide
Posted 13 Jan, 2021
On 15 Jan, 2021
On 01 Jan, 2021
On 01 Jan, 2021
On 01 Jan, 2021
On 01 Jan, 2021
Posted 22 Dec, 2020
Received 22 Dec, 2020
On 21 Dec, 2020
Invitations sent on 21 Dec, 2020
On 21 Dec, 2020
On 21 Dec, 2020
On 21 Dec, 2020
Received 15 Nov, 2020
On 15 Nov, 2020
On 14 Oct, 2020
Received 29 Sep, 2020
On 08 Sep, 2020
On 31 Aug, 2020
Invitations sent on 31 Aug, 2020
On 30 Aug, 2020
On 30 Aug, 2020
On 28 Aug, 2020
"I can't live like that": The experience of caregiver stress of caring for a relative with substance use disorder
Posted 13 Jan, 2021
On 15 Jan, 2021
On 01 Jan, 2021
On 01 Jan, 2021
On 01 Jan, 2021
On 01 Jan, 2021
Posted 22 Dec, 2020
Received 22 Dec, 2020
On 21 Dec, 2020
Invitations sent on 21 Dec, 2020
On 21 Dec, 2020
On 21 Dec, 2020
On 21 Dec, 2020
Received 15 Nov, 2020
On 15 Nov, 2020
On 14 Oct, 2020
Received 29 Sep, 2020
On 08 Sep, 2020
On 31 Aug, 2020
Invitations sent on 31 Aug, 2020
On 30 Aug, 2020
On 30 Aug, 2020
On 28 Aug, 2020
Background: The impact of addiction extends beyond the individual using a substance. Caring for an individual with addiction creates persistent stressful circumstances that cause worry, anger, depression, shame, guilt, anxiety, and behavioral problems within the family unit.
The aim of the study: The paper aims to explore the experiences of caring for a relative with a substance use disorder (SUD) and self-care strategies caregivers employ.
Methods: The study adopted an exploratory qualitative design. To be included in the study, participants were required to have a relative with a (SUD) disorder and not be actively using the substance themselves. Individual interviews were conducted to gather their experiences, meanings, and how they made sense of caring for a relative with a SUD.
Results: 21 Participants were involved in the study, of which 17 were women, and four were men of which there had a sister, four had a brother, eight had a parent, six had a dependent, and one participant had a grandparent with a SUD. Four themes, whose overarching focus is the pains of living and caring for a family with a SUD, caused the participants and how the participants mitigated these experiences.
Conclusion: The stress associated with caring for individuals with a SUD impacts the caregiver's physical and mental health. Specific care modalities targeting caregivers need to be developed to address the health impact and to support self-care.