title: Understanding the Life Histories of Pregnant-Involved Young Aboriginal Women With Substance Use Experiences in Three Canadian Cities.
abstract: Despite attention paid to substance use during pregnancy, understandings of young Aboriginal women's experiences based on their perspectives have been virtually absent in the published literature. This study's objective was to understand the life experiences of pregnant-involved young Aboriginal women with alcohol and drugs. Semi-structured interviews to gather life histories were conducted with 23 young Aboriginal women who had experiences with pregnancy, and alcohol and drug use. Transcribed interviews were analyzed for themes to describe the social and historical contexts of women's experiences and their self-representations. The findings detail women's strategies for survival, inner strength, and capacities for love, healing, and resilience. Themes included the following: intersectional identities, life histories of trauma (abuse, violence, and neglect; intergenerational trauma; separations and connections), the ever-presence of alcohol and drugs, and the highs and lows of pregnancy and mothering. The findings have implications for guiding policy and interventions for supporting women and their families.
authors.affiliation: The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada sanashahram@gmail.com.|Centre for Addictions Research of BC, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Sana Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Shahram
authors.affiliation: The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.|Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Joan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bottorff
authors.affiliation: The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Donna L M
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Kurtz
authors.affiliation: The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.|Department of Community Health Services, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Nelly D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Oelke
authors.affiliation: Wuikinuxv Nation, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.|The Cedar Project, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Patricia M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Spittal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000523:psychology*; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008149:Love; D010455:Peptides; D011108:Polymers; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D011108:Polymers; C034459:copoly(alanine, methionine)
keywords: addiction; adolescents; families; gender; health; high risk; holistic care; life history interviews; lived experience; marginalized or vulnerable populations; mothering; mothers; parenting; pregnancy; qualitative; resilience; resistance; substance use; western Canada; women’s health; young adults; youth