{"title":"Exploring service user and family members' perspective and experiences of alcohol dependence treatment in tertiary care hospital: A qualitative study.","authors":"S Shankar, K S Ravisankar","doi":"10.4103/indianjpsychiatry_750_24","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Substance use disorders (SUDs), particularly alcohol dependence, represent the significant global public health challenge. Understanding the perspectives of service users and family members regarding addiction treatment is critical for improving care. Despite growing emphasis on patient-centered approaches, their insights remain underrepresented in shaping treatment programs.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To explore the treatment goals, expectations, and experiences of service users with alcohol dependence and their family members in a tertiary care hospital's substance use treatment ward.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This qualitative study was conducted in the substance use treatment ward of a tertiary care hospital. Using purposive sampling, 54 service users diagnosed with alcohol dependence and 53 family members participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Participants shared their treatment goals, expectations, and recommendations for care improvement. Data were analyzed inductively using thematic analysis, with themes iteratively refined until saturation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants emphasized the need for comprehensive, stigma-free care. Service users sought sustained abstinence, physical health restoration, and societal reintegration post-discharge. Positive aspects included supportive staff, psychotherapy sessions, and effective relapse prevention strategies. A majority expressed high satisfaction (e.g., 70% endorsed \"satisfied\" or \"very satisfied\"), reflecting overall positive experiences. However, stigmatization and fragmented service delivery emerged as barriers. Family members echoed these views and stressed the role of family engagement in recovery.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study reveals that personal, family, and systemic factors shape treatment experiences in alcohol dependence, with stigma, fragmented services, and limited family involvement as key barriers. Targeted strategies-integrated care, stigma reduction, and stronger family engagement-can enhance treatment quality and sustain recovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":13345,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Psychiatry","volume":"67 9","pages":"870-876"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12468788/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Indian Journal of Psychiatry","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry_750_24","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/9/16 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PSYCHIATRY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs), particularly alcohol dependence, represent the significant global public health challenge. Understanding the perspectives of service users and family members regarding addiction treatment is critical for improving care. Despite growing emphasis on patient-centered approaches, their insights remain underrepresented in shaping treatment programs.
Aim: To explore the treatment goals, expectations, and experiences of service users with alcohol dependence and their family members in a tertiary care hospital's substance use treatment ward.
Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in the substance use treatment ward of a tertiary care hospital. Using purposive sampling, 54 service users diagnosed with alcohol dependence and 53 family members participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Participants shared their treatment goals, expectations, and recommendations for care improvement. Data were analyzed inductively using thematic analysis, with themes iteratively refined until saturation.
Results: Participants emphasized the need for comprehensive, stigma-free care. Service users sought sustained abstinence, physical health restoration, and societal reintegration post-discharge. Positive aspects included supportive staff, psychotherapy sessions, and effective relapse prevention strategies. A majority expressed high satisfaction (e.g., 70% endorsed "satisfied" or "very satisfied"), reflecting overall positive experiences. However, stigmatization and fragmented service delivery emerged as barriers. Family members echoed these views and stressed the role of family engagement in recovery.
Conclusion: This study reveals that personal, family, and systemic factors shape treatment experiences in alcohol dependence, with stigma, fragmented services, and limited family involvement as key barriers. Targeted strategies-integrated care, stigma reduction, and stronger family engagement-can enhance treatment quality and sustain recovery.
期刊介绍：
The Indian Journal of Psychiatry (ISSN 0019-5545), is an official publication of the Indian Psychiatric Society. It is published Bimonthly with one additional supplement (total 5 issues). The IJP publishes original work in all the fields of psychiatry. All papers are peer-reviewed before publication.
The issues are published Bimonthly. An additional supplement is also published annually. Articles can be submitted online from www.journalonweb.com . The journal provides immediate free access to all the published articles. The journal does not charge the authors for submission, processing or publication of the articles.
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