The physical and psychological wellbeing of caregivers of individuals suffering from substance addiction

Objective: This paper seeks to examine the physical and psychological wellbeing of caregivers of individuals suffering from substance addiction. Method: To obtain knowledge of the needs of caregivers of substance addicted individuals and investigating their wellbeing, this paper presents a systematic literature review. Both electronic and manual searches were done on EBSCO host, eBooks collection, Academic search complete, CINAHL Plus, Health source (academic, nursing and consumer edition), Medline, Masterfile, PsycARTICLES and Google Scholar. Books relevant to the topic searched were also used. Results: The results gave an overview of needs and wellbeing issues concerning the caregivers of individuals suffering from substance addiction and what can be implemented to address their wellbeing such as confidence, maintenance of relationships, engaging with the world, being productive and coping with stress. Conclusions: This review indicated that future research should aim to ensure the psychological and physical wellbeing of caregivers of individuals addicted to substances as these individuals' experiences and perspectives are almost always neglected. Avenues for avoidance and early intervention of deterioration of wellbeing of these individuals should be explored.