The experience of the addicted families from the stigma of disease: A qualitative study

Since addiction is a biopsychosocial disease and according to its progressive nature that endangers the life of addicted, his family and the society, the aim of this research was to study the family experience of drug addicts’ stigma in one or more of the family members.

This study was conducted with a qualitative approach using the phenomenological method. Sampling was purposive and the data were collected through interviews of semi -structured interviews with 30 members of addicts’ families in the city of Tehran up to data saturation.

The findings can be categorized in the four main categories of family members (with four subgroups: softness in speech, family apathy toward the individual and addiction, covering with the hope of self-understanding and struggling with addicted), social relations of family members (with four subgroups: shrinking relationships because of shame and embarrassment, shrinking relationships because of acquaintances blaming, shrinking relationships because of acquaintances questioning and acquaintances attitude), the type of behavior of acquaintances with family (with three subgroup: acquaintances blaming, acquaintances irony and pity) and social stigma (with three subgroup: community rejection of addiction, stigma of susceptibility of addiction and stigma of disease).

Due to the research findings, stigma and its consequences can be considered as one of the critical issues for the families of addicts.