title: Experiences of mothers with substance dependence: Informing the development of parenting support.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To understand the experiences of women with a history of substance dependence when they attempted to gain parenting support.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Becoming a mother provides a window of opportunity to support women with a substance dependence make changes to their lives and the way they will parent their infants and young children. Yet there are many barriers and a constant fear of the removal of their children from their care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Focus groups were conducted using a qualitative interpretive descriptive approach to enable exploration of the women's experiences as mothers with infants and young children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A series of three focus groups were facilitated with three to six women per group. Thirteen women who were substance dependent participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews guided the collection of data. Thematic content analysis was used to work with the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four themes were identified: (1) feelings of guilt, (2) judged by others, (3) normalising and (4) support and learning to be a mother.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mothers expressed alienation from mainstream health services. Providing parenting and child health services, which avoid mothers feeling judged by the staff and other mothers, is an important step to enabling these women to appropriately and sensitively care for their infants and young children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Midwives and nurses working with mothers and their infants and young children are well positioned to support women who are or have experienced substance dependence. Working with this group of mothers requires the development of a therapeutic relationship to provide optimum support, education and, if necessary, intervention.
authors.affiliation: Tresillian Chair in Child and Family Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Cathrine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: Jeannie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Minnis
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Day
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008427:Maternal Health Services; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009736:Nursing Process; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011181:Postnatal Care; D012944:Social Support; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: maternal guilt; mother's group; motherhood; parenting; substance dependence