The Lived Experience of Women Seeking Divorce with a Substance-Dependent Spouse: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the lived experience of women who file for divorce with a substance-dependent spouse.

The present study was a qualitative study based on a phenomenological approach. The statistical population was women applying for divorce with a substance-dependent spouse in Tehran in 2023, and 17 subjects were selected based on purposive sampling and using the technique of data saturation. Data collection was done through in-depth semi-structured interviews and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

In this study, after extracting key phrases and words from the interview text, 4 main themes and 16 sub-themes were extracted. The main themes included marital dissatisfaction, emotional separation, forced divorce, and concern for the future of themselves and their children.

The families and especially the spouses of male substance users need comprehensive understanding and support as they are exposed to extreme personal and social vulnerability. These results give the treatment team a new perspective to understand more realistically the families of substance-dependent patients and their real problems.