Volume 33, Issue 3 (9-2026)
J Transl Med Res. 2026, 33(3): 0-0 |
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Research code: 12392700494102022037163072477
Ethics code: IR.IAU.SRB.REC.1404.442
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Emamian H, Jalili Z, Tavakoli R, Zanjani S, Mousafarakhani E. Lived experiences of women in recovery from addiction regarding barriers to and facilitators of relapse: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study. J Transl Med Res. 2026; 33 (3)
URL: http://journal.bums.ac.ir/article-1-3629-en.html
URL: http://journal.bums.ac.ir/article-1-3629-en.html
1- Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2- Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran ,jalili403@iau.ac.ir
3- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
2- Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran ,
3- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Abstract: (14 Views)
Background and Aims: Relapse to substance use is a central challenge following withdrawal from addiction, and statistics indicate a rising trend of substance use disorders among women. This study aimed to explore the lived experience of relapse among women in recovery from substance use disorder in Bardaskan, Iran.
Materials and Methods: This qualitative study employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), following Smith's framework. Twelve women with a history of relapse were recruited through purposive sampling and interviewed using in-depth, semi-structured interviews until data saturation was reached. Each transcript was analyzed ideographically — through repeated reading, exploratory noting, and the development of emergent themes — before cross-case comparison generated the Group Experiential Themes reported below. Trustworthiness was appraised against Yardley's four criteria for qualitative research (sensitivity to context, commitment and rigor, transparency and coherence, and impact and importance).
Results: Analysis of 381 initial codes yielded 17 categories and four Group Experiential Themes: (1) "On the verge of relapse: living amid pain, pressure, and temptation," in which bodily pain, unmanaged emotion, an eroded sense of self-worth, and pressure from the surrounding environment converged as inseparable pulls back toward use; (2) "Being seen in the group: finding refuge on the path to recovery," describing how peer fellowship and a restored connection with family and life offered a relational anchoring that had been stripped away; (3) "Making it possible to stay on the path to recovery," which traced how a changing spousal role, self-recognition, and economic and institutional supports together sustained continued abstinence; and (4) "Fear of being seen: the invisible barriers to help-seeking," in which stigma functioned less as a lack of access than as an ontological fear of exposure.
Conclusion: Relapse among women in recovery is a multidimensional, relationally embedded process rather than a static outcome of independent risk factors; it is continually re-negotiated within the marital relationship over time. Participation in self-help groups such as Narcotics Anonymous and access to non-judgmental social support were the strongest protective factors identified, precisely because they restore the relational recognition whose absence underlay relapse. Preventive and educational interventions grounded in these lived experiences — particularly those that treat spousal support as a dynamic rather than a fixed variable — may meaningfully improve the effectiveness of empowerment programs for this population.
Materials and Methods: This qualitative study employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), following Smith's framework. Twelve women with a history of relapse were recruited through purposive sampling and interviewed using in-depth, semi-structured interviews until data saturation was reached. Each transcript was analyzed ideographically — through repeated reading, exploratory noting, and the development of emergent themes — before cross-case comparison generated the Group Experiential Themes reported below. Trustworthiness was appraised against Yardley's four criteria for qualitative research (sensitivity to context, commitment and rigor, transparency and coherence, and impact and importance).
Results: Analysis of 381 initial codes yielded 17 categories and four Group Experiential Themes: (1) "On the verge of relapse: living amid pain, pressure, and temptation," in which bodily pain, unmanaged emotion, an eroded sense of self-worth, and pressure from the surrounding environment converged as inseparable pulls back toward use; (2) "Being seen in the group: finding refuge on the path to recovery," describing how peer fellowship and a restored connection with family and life offered a relational anchoring that had been stripped away; (3) "Making it possible to stay on the path to recovery," which traced how a changing spousal role, self-recognition, and economic and institutional supports together sustained continued abstinence; and (4) "Fear of being seen: the invisible barriers to help-seeking," in which stigma functioned less as a lack of access than as an ontological fear of exposure.
Conclusion: Relapse among women in recovery is a multidimensional, relationally embedded process rather than a static outcome of independent risk factors; it is continually re-negotiated within the marital relationship over time. Participation in self-help groups such as Narcotics Anonymous and access to non-judgmental social support were the strongest protective factors identified, precisely because they restore the relational recognition whose absence underlay relapse. Preventive and educational interventions grounded in these lived experiences — particularly those that treat spousal support as a dynamic rather than a fixed variable — may meaningfully improve the effectiveness of empowerment programs for this population.
Keywords: Substance-Related Disorders, Recurrence, Qualitative Research, Women, Self-Help Groups, Social Support, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Type of Study: Original Article |
Subject:
Clinical Psychology
Received: 2026/07/15 | Accepted: 2026/10/4 | ePublished: 2026/09/23
Received: 2026/07/15 | Accepted: 2026/10/4 | ePublished: 2026/09/23
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