Background: Alcohol dependence is a medical diagnosis and differs from alcohol abuse and harmful drinking. Dependence develops in interaction with the reward system and has a hereditary component. People with alcohol dependence are a stigmatized group in society as well as within healthcare, and the diagnosis means great suffering. It is therefore important to shed light on these individuals own experiences of caring relationships.
Aim: To illuminate experiences of caring relationships in people with alcohol dependence.
Method: A literature review with the keywords Alcohol dependence, care, patient experiences, alcohol addiction, phenomenological, alcohol, treatment barriers, patient satisfaction, nursing, experiences and qualitative. Ten qualitative studies collected from Cinahl Complete, PubMed, Nursing and allied health source, PsycINFO and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection were analyzed and thematized.
Results: The overarching theme that was formed from the results was Different aspects of the caring relationship with four subthemes. These subthemes were 1) The importance of mutual trust and affirmation, 2) The meaning of knowledge and professionalism, 3) Power and involvement in the caring relationship, and 4) To feel judged and discriminated.
Discussions: The results are discussed in relation to Barkers Tidal model. In the discussion it is noted that much that emerged in the results were positive experiences and what this may be due to. Further discussed is what negative attitudes towards people with alcohol dependence can mean for the person, and whether it's possible that extended knowledge can improve these attitudes.