Exploring the Role of Intrapersonal Factors and Psychological Dysfunction of Women in Their Husbands’ Addiction: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

This study aimed to qualitatively explore how women’s intrapersonal factors and psychological dysfunction contribute to the onset, maintenance, and escalation of their husbands’ substance addiction. Using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) design, the study included 26 married women residing in Tehran whose husbands had a history of drug use for at least one year. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected via semi-structured, in-depth interviews lasting 60–120 minutes. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Diekelmann’s interpretative phenomenological method involving iterative coding, thematic reduction, and synthesis. Credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability were ensured through Guba and Lincoln’s trustworthiness criteria. Analysis yielded 98 final meaning units, 16 subthemes, and three overarching themes. The first theme, intrapersonal factors, comprised personality traits, destructive behaviors, emotional facilitators, limited insight and awareness, irrational beliefs, and demographic variables. The second theme, cognitive–psychological impairments, included mood disturbances, cognitive–behavioral dysfunctions, unrealistic beliefs, and maladaptive schemas. The third theme, impairment in psychological competencies, involved poor differentiation, insecure attachment, emotion dysregulation, deficits in cognitive emotion regulation, maladaptive coping, and codependency. Collectively, the themes indicated that women’s emotional, cognitive, and behavioral vulnerabilities significantly contribute—directly or indirectly—to their husbands’ inclination toward substance use and its persistence. The study concludes that women’s psychological functioning plays a crucial role in shaping the course of their husbands’ addiction. Beyond external stressors, intrapersonal vulnerabilities and dysfunctional relational patterns can intensify marital distress and facilitate addictive behaviors. These findings highlight the importance of designing prevention and treatment programs that incorporate psychological empowerment interventions for women alongside traditional addiction-focused services.