Bakgrund: Alkohol- och drogmissbruk är idag ett utbrett problem som drabbar minst 15,3 miljoner människor världen över. Det råder en allmän stigmatisering i dagens samhälle mot missbrukare, bland gemene man samt inom hälso- och sjukvården. Denna stigmatisering har skapats dels på grund av den bild media skapar av den stereotypa missbrukaren och dels på grund av okunskap. Sjuksköterskor hyser ofta fördomar mot denna patientgrupp vilket kan leda till bristfällig vård. Syfte: Syftet är att beskriva sjuksköterskans erfarenhet och upplevelse av att vårda patienter som missbrukar alkohol och droger. Metod: En allmän litteraturstudie baserad på fem kvalitativa studier, tre kvantitativa studier och en mixad studie. Resultat: Fyra teman kunde urskiljas; attityder, kunskapsbehov, starka känslor och vårdande relationer. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskor hyser fördomar och har negativa attityder mot patienter som lider av missbruk. Kunskapsbehovet är stort och bristen på kunskap påverkar vården negativt. Vård av denna patientgrupp ger upphov till starka (ofta negativa) känslor hos sjuksköterskor. Den vårdande relationens karaktär är beroende av sjuksköterskans inställning. Klinisk betydelse: Studien kan ge sjuksköterskor och annan vårdpersonal en inblick i ämnet och inspirera till en mer fördomsfri vård. / Background: Drug- and alcohol addiction is a widespread problem in the world today and at least 15, 3 million people suffer from drug- and alcohol addiction. Stigma against addicts, caused by a lack of knowledge and an image of the stereotypical addict perpetuated by media, is widely spread in today’s society amongst the general public as well as healthcare professionals. Nurses are often prejudiced against this group of patients which can cause inadequate care. Aim: To describe nurse's knowledge and experience of caring for patients who suffer from drug- and alcohol addiction. Method: A literature review consisting of five qualitative studies, three quantitative studies and one mixed method study. Result: Four themes were identified; attitudes, knowledge, strong emotions and caring relationships. Conclusion: Nurses are found to have negative attitudes and be prejudiced against patients who suffer from addiction. Lack of knowledge affects the care negatively and the need for knowledge is great. Caring for this group of patients generates strong feelings, which are often negative, in nurses. The characteristics of the caring relationship are dependent on the nurses’ attitude. Clinical significance: This study may give nurses and other health professionals an insight into the matter and inspire a more open-minded care.

The aim of this thesis is to explore how men in recovery from substance use conceptualize challenges and use their inherent strengths to navigate them. Estimates of substance use prevalence rates in Canada suggest that approximately one-in-five Canadians will meet the diagnostic criteria for substance use disorder throughout their lifetime (Pearson, Janz & Ali, 2013). These prevalence estimates represent a significant cause for concern as addiction is a significant phenomenon in contemporary Canadian society. A scoping literature review was conducted on nineteen research studies to investigate the state of current research. Although there is a wealth of studies on addiction, research frequently utilizes pathologizing approaches. These approaches are commonly focused on addiction in the context of a social or individual issue ripe with problematizing discourses. Six qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted on men living in recovery-based supportive housing for this research to explore their experiences from the onset of substance use into substance use and recovery efforts. A strength-based perspective was adopted for analysis purposes in order to more accurately reflect on the inherent strengths of the participants. The men provided in-depth accounts of their experiences, conceptualized challenges to their recovery and contrary to many contemporary research discourses, demonstrated an affluence of strengths while articulating challenge navigation. The men were also proactive in their ability to anticipate future challenges and conceive methods of effective challenge navigation. Findings of this study are analyzed and discussed in the context of recognizing the magnitude of the challenges facing the men in recovery and the incredible strengths that they demonstrate in challenge navigation. The implications for current social work practice are outlined and several suggestions are tabled with the goal of improving current practice methods. Finally, suggestions for future strength-based addiction research are offered with the intention of seeking overall improvements to the research field and addressing existing gaps within the literature. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)