A retroductive theoretical model of the pathway to chemical dependency in nurses

Much of the research on chemical dependency in nurses over the past 25 years has been a-theoretical and has tended to focus on descriptive characteristics of nurses. This field of study lacks systematic knowledge building and a useful theoretical base. This article focuses on the development of a middle range theory that begins to explicate the transactions of the chemically dependent nurse with the environment and the process through which nurses become addicted. Steiner's theory models approach using retroductive inference was the method selected to develop the theory. Theoretical work from Bandura, Jessor, and Pender were used as source theories to develop the middle range theory presented.