“I Genuinely Believe This Is the Most Stigmatised Group within the Social Care Sector”—Health and Social Care Professionals’ Experiences of Working with People with Alcohol-Related Brain Damage: A Qualitative Interview Study

Peter Johan Kruithof, William McGovern and Catherine Haighton ()
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Peter Johan Kruithof: Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7XA, UK
William McGovern: Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7XA, UK
Catherine Haighton: Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7XA, UK

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 21, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Appropriate diagnosis, treatment and care contribute to better service engagement, improvements to wellbeing, cost savings and reductions in morbidity and mortality for people with alcohol-related brain damage. In Northeast England, large amounts of alcohol are consumed; this is reflected in the number of alcohol-related deaths in the region. However, the pathway for people with alcohol-related brain damage to receive diagnosis, treatment and care is unknown and could be unwittingly influenced by stigma. Qualitative, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were completed with 25 health and social care professionals from organizations involved with people with alcohol-related brain damage recruited via snowball sampling. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and analysed. People with alcohol-related brain damage were found to be stigmatised by both society and professionals, inhibiting their entry into services. Therefore, alcohol-related brain damage remains underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed. There was found to be no dedicated service; silos with revolving doors and underfunded generic care with long waiting lists typically exclude those with alcohol-related or neurological problems. Reducing stigmatising processes associated with alcohol-related brain damage could counteract professionals’ reluctance to provide care.

Keywords: stigma; alcohol-related brain damage; qualitative research; health and social care professionals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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