Social and Recovery Capital amongst Homeless Hostel Residents Who Use Drugs and Alcohol
BACKGROUND:
Homeless
people who use drugs and alcohol have been described as one of the most
marginalised groups in society. In this paper, we explore the relationships of
homeless drug and alcohol users who live in hostels in order to ascertain the
nature and extent of their social and recovery capital.
METHODS:
Data were
collected during 2013 and 2014 from three hostels. Each hostel was in a
different English city and varied in size and organisational structure.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 residents (21 men; 9 women)
who self-reported current drink and/or drug problems. Follow-up interviews were
completed after 4-6 weeks with 22 residents (16 men; 6 women). Audio recordings
of all interviews were transcribed verbatim, systematically coded and analysed
using Framework.
RESULTS:
Participants'
main relationships involved family members, professionals, other hostel
residents, friends outside of hostels, current and former partners, and
enemies. Social networks were relatively small, but based on diverse forms of,
often reciprocal, practical and emotional support, encompassing protection,
companionship, and love. The extent to which participants' contacts provided a
stable source of social capital over time was, nonetheless, uncertain. Hostel
residents who used drugs and alcohol welcomed and valued interaction with, and
assistance from, hostel staff; women appeared to have larger social networks
than men; and hostels varied in the level of enmity between residents and
antipathy towards staff.
CONCLUSION:
Homeless
hostel residents who use drugs and alcohol have various opportunities for
building social capital that can in turn foster recovery capital. Therapies
that focus on promoting positive social networks amongst people experiencing
addiction seem to offer a valuable way of working with homeless hostel
residents who use drugs and alcohol. Gains are, however, likely to be maximised
where hostel management and staff are supportive of, and actively engage with,
therapy delivery
- 1Addictions Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, 4 Windsor Walk, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK; Centre for Social Research in Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
- 2Department of Psychology, Social Work and Public Health, Oxford Brookes University, Jack Straws Lane, Marston, Oxford OX3 0FL, UK. Electronic address: cstevenson@brookes.ac.uk.
No comments:
Post a Comment