Understanding the Barriers to Integration to Society, Recovering Patient From Addiction Face: Qualitative Study in UAE.

Abstract

Background Drug abuse is a chronic and long-term persisting problem, which is among the most critical and challenging problems worldwide. Drug abuse leads to physical, mental and psychiatric diseases. Research identifies the drug abuse problem of the gulf cooperation council (GCC) as the “silent epidemic of the gulf.” In the UAE, the addiction problem was first identified in the early 1980s. Research indicated that the number of individuals with drug abuse problem in the UAE is increasing within different nationalities, and Emirati nationals experience the highest addiction rates. Essential parts of the treatment process are the re-entry of patients in recovery to the society and maintaining recovery. Despite of all the post-treatment programs, the relapse rate within the Emirati nationals is still high. The objective of the study is to understand the barriers patients in recovery encounter to integration to society after addiction treatment. Methods and Results We carried out a qualitative content-analysis research design, utilizing a conventional content method. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 33 patients and 10 family members of patients from October 2018 until January 2019 at the National Rehabilitation Center (NRC), Abu Dhabi, UAE. Data were analyzed using category construction and interpretive approaches. Results revealed that barriers to integrations of recovering patients relate to family support, social networks, employment, and treatment. The study highlighted the multitude of barriers patients face as they move through the criminal justice system, healthcare facilities that provide insufficient treatment, and reintegrate into society. Conclusion Our study indicated several key issues to address to maintain recovery and the integration of patients into the social mainstream. These issues involved preserving recovery capital including: social capital through family relations; physical capital through employment; human capital through providing sufficient treatment to preserve self-esteem; and cultural capital through addressing stigma in the UAE society.