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The Lived Experience of Postpartum Women Attending Outpatient Substance Treatment for Opioid or Heroin Use
Author(s) -
Proulx Donna,
Fantasia Heidi Collins
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of midwifery and women's health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.543
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1542-2011
pISSN - 1526-9523
DOI - 10.1111/jmwh.13165
Subject(s) - opioid use disorder , medicine , psychiatry , abstinence , postpartum period , heroin , substance abuse , psychology , family medicine , nursing , opioid , pregnancy , drug , receptor , biology , genetics
The current opioid crisis and associated heroin epidemic have exhausted the limited community services that are available to substance users, with only about 12% of substance use treatment facilities offering special programs for pregnant women. Little information is known about the lived experience of postpartum women in outpatient substance use treatment programs, who are working toward abstinence and caring for a newborn. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of postpartum women attending outpatient substance use treatment for illicit opioid or heroin use. Methods Individual interviews were conducted between December 2017 and November 2018, with 10 postpartum women with opioid use disorder (OUD) engaged in outpatient substance use treatment programs. A 4‐step conceptual framework as suggested by Moustakas was used to understand and synthesize the lived experiences shared by the women. Results Five themes emerged from the raw data: the presence of a stigma in providers of health care services, a fear of being reported to family services, children are primary motivators to remain engaged in treatment, concern for the welfare of the infant, and barriers to treatment. Discussion Postpartum women with OUD and their infants have complex needs that may best be served by treatment programs that offer comprehensive care. The fear of being reported to family services and possible loss of custody influenced all aspects of their decision‐making.