Complicating the dominant morality discourse: mothers and fathers' constructions of substance use during pregnancy and early parenthood

Reconsidering the use of urine drug testing in reproductive settings

The urine drug test is ubiquitous within reproductive healthcare settings. Although the test can have evidence-based use for a patient and clinician, in practice, it is often applied in ways that are driven by bias and stigma, do not correctly inform decisions about clinical aspects of patient care, and cause devastating ripple effects through social and legal systems. This paper proposes a framework of guiding questions to prompt reflection on (1) the question the clinical team is trying to answer, (2) whether a urine drug test answers the question at hand, (3) how testing benefits compare with the associated risks, (4) a more effective tool for clinical decision-making if the urine drug test does not meet the standards for use, and (5) individual and institutional biases affecting decision-making. We demonstrate the use of this framework using 3 common uses of the urine drug test within abortion care and labor and delivery settings.

Challenges in Accessing Mental Health Care during Pregnancy and Postpartum in Rural Montana

PURPOSE

Postpartum depression is a well-known maternal health care concern. For women using substances or experiencing underlying mental health conditions, incidence of postpartum depression is higher than that of the general population. The purpose of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators associated with seeking mental health care among women with substance use disorder or mental health concerns.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Qualitative methods using interviews were conducted via the narrative inquiry approach. Women receiving care at a clinic in rural Montana and reporting substance use or mental health concerns were referred to the research team by the care manager. Participants were at least 18 years of age, English speaking, and pregnant or within 12 months postpartum at time of referral.

RESULTS

Twenty-five women met inclusion criteria and were referred for potential study participation. Seven women were interviewed. Four themes on family history, stigmatization, lack of postpartum depression awareness, and isolation were identified.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Our findings provide a better understanding of barriers and facilitators to seeking mental health care during pregnancy and postpartum among women living in rural areas with mental health concerns or perinatal substance use. An environment where opportunities for women to receive mental health care in a location that is free of stigma and judgment, while understanding the effects of familial trauma and limited or inconsistent social support, is essential to promote optimal outcomes.

Understanding Alcohol Use Discourse and Stigma Patterns in Perinatal Care on Twitter

(1) Background: perinatal alcohol use generates a variety of health risks. Social media platforms discuss fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and other widespread outcomes, providing personalized user-generated content about the perceptions and behaviors related to alcohol use during pregnancy. Data collected from Twitter underscores various narrative structures and sentiments in tweets that reflect large-scale discourses and foster societal stigmas; (2) Methods: We extracted alcohol-related tweets from May 2019 to October 2021 using an official Twitter search API based on a set of keywords provided by our clinical team. Our exploratory study utilized thematic content analysis and inductive qualitative coding methods to analyze user content. Iterative line-by-line coding categorized dynamic descriptive themes from a random sample of 500 tweets; (3) Results: qualitative methods from content analysis revealed underlying patterns among inter-user engagements, outlining individual, interpersonal and population-level stigmas about perinatal alcohol use and negative sentiment towards drinking mothers. As a result, the overall silence surrounding personal experiences with alcohol use during pregnancy suggests an unwillingness and sense of reluctancy from pregnant adults to leverage the platform for support and assistance due to societal stigmas; (4) Conclusions: identifying these discursive factors will facilitate more effective public health programs that take into account specific challenges related to social media networks and develop prevention strategies to help Twitter users struggling with perinatal alcohol use.

Exploring Perinatal Nursing Care for Opioid Use Disorder: Knowledge, Stigma, and Compassion

The opioid epidemic has greatly increased the number of pregnant women with opioid use and newborns exposed to opioids in utero. Mothers with opioid use disorder can face stigma by nurses in perinatal care settings, contributing to negative care experiences. A survey was distributed to nurses caring for mothers and newborns exposed to opioids in a large urban hospital in the Pacific Northwest United States (n = 89) from March to July 2019. Survey measures included participant characteristics, attitude toward substance use in pregnancy and postpartum (stigma, compassion satisfaction, comfort, and knowledge), and open-ended questions. Relationships among variables and questionnaire items were examined using Pearson's correlations, 2-sample t tests, and simultaneous multiple linear regression. Qualitative description was used to analyze open-ended questions. Nurses' stigma was negatively correlated with compassion satisfaction (r = -0.63), feeling knowledgeable (r = -0.36), and comfortable in providing care to this population (r = -0.44). Nurses identified defensiveness, lack of trust, and inadequate social support as key challenges in this patient population. Nurses suggested more support for mothers and nurses, increased nursing education, and clinical guidelines to improve clinical practice and foster therapeutic relationships. Findings highlight potential strategies to improve nursing care for chemically dependent mothers and their infants. These strategies may offer practical approaches to reduce stigma, develop therapeutic relationships, and improve patient outcomes.

Motherhood and Treatment Outcome in Female Patients with Compulsive Buying-Shopping Disorder

Motherhood has been proposed as an internal facilitating factor for the recovery of women with mental disorders. However, at the same time, there are significant barriers that may be interfering with the access and adherence to treatment for these women. The present longitudinal study aimed to deepen the sociodemographic and clinical profile of women with children and compulsive buying–shopping disorder (CBSD), and to explore the association between motherhood and response to treatment. The total sample included 77 women with a diagnosis of CBSD (n = 49 mothers) who received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for 12 weeks. No association between psychopathology and motherhood was observed. The group of mothers reported an older age of onset of the CBSD, a lower amount of money spent per compulsive-buying episode, and a higher likelihood of family support for the CBSD. Moreover, this group showed lower risk of relapse. The findings support the theoretical proposal that considers motherhood as an internal facilitating factor for recovery and treatment adherence of mothers with addictions.

Clinician responses to cannabis use during pregnancy and lactation: a systematic review and integrative mixed-methods research synthesis

BACKGROUND

Perinatal cannabis use is increasing, and clinician counselling is an important aspect of reducing the potential harm of cannabis use during pregnancy and lactation. To understand current counselling practices, we conducted a systematic review and integrative mixed-methods synthesis to determine "how do perinatal clinicians respond to pregnant and lactating patients who use cannabis?"

METHODS

We searched 6 databases up until 2021-05-31. Eligible studies described the attitudes, perceptions, or beliefs of perinatal clinician about cannabis use during pregnancy or lactation. Eligible clinicians were those whose practice particularly focusses on pregnant and postpartum patients. The search was not limited by study design, geography, or year. We used a convergent integrative analysis method to extract relevant findings for inductive analysis.

RESULTS

Thirteen studies were included; describing perspectives of 1,366 clinicians in 4 countries. We found no unified approach to screening and counselling. Clinicians often cited insufficient evidence around the effects of perinatal cannabis use and lacked confidence in counselling about use. At times, this meant clinicians did not address cannabis use with patients. Most counselled for cessation and there was little recognition of the varied reasons that patients might use cannabis, and an over-reliance on counselling focussed on the legal implications of use.

CONCLUSION

Current approaches to responding to cannabis use might result in inadequate counselling. Counselling may be improved through increased education and training, which would facilitate conversations to mitigate the potential harm of perinatal cannabis use while recognizing the benefits patients perceive.

Pregnant People's Perspectives On Cannabis Use During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Integrative Mixed-Methods Research Synthesis

Introduction

Rates of perinatal cannabis use are rising, despite clinical evidence about the potential for harm. Accordingly, pregnant and lactating people who perceive a benefit from cannabis use may have a difficult time making informed decisions about cannabis use.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of mixed‐methods research to synthesize existing knowledge on the perspectives of pregnant people and their partners about cannabis use in pregnancy. Six health and social science databases were searched up until May 30, 2021. There were no methodological, time, or geographic limits applied. We employed a convergent integrative approach to the inductive analysis of findings from all studies.

Results

We identified 26 studies describing views of 17,781 pregnant and postpartum people about cannabis use in pregnancy. No studies describing the views of partners were identified, and only one study specifically addressed the perspectives of lactating people. Comparative analysis revealed that whether cannabis was studied alone or grouped with other substances resulted in significant diversity in descriptions of participant decision‐making priorities and perceptions of risks and benefits. Studies of cannabis alone demonstrated a complex decision‐making process whereby perceived benefits are balanced against the available information about risk, which is often unclear and uncertain. Clear and helpful information was difficult to identify, and health care providers were not described as a helpful and trusted resource for decision‐making.

Discussion

Decision‐making about cannabis use is difficult for pregnant and lactating people who perceive a benefit from this use, although this decisional difficulty is seldom reflected in studies that examine cannabis as one of multiple substances that pregnant or lactating people may use. Our review suggests several approaches clinicians may take to encourage open and supportive conversations to facilitate informed decisions about cannabis use during the perinatal period.

Social Construction of Target Populations: A Theoretical Framework for Understanding Policy Approaches to Perinatal Illicit Substance Screening

Perinatal illicit substance use is a nursing and public health issue. Current screening policies have significant consequences for birthing individuals and their families. Racial disparities exist in spite of targeted and universal screening policies and practices. Thus, new theoretical approaches are needed to investigate perinatal illicit substance use screening in hospital settings. The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the social construction of target populations theory in the context of perinatal illicit substance use screening. Using the theoretical insights of this theory to interrogate the approaches taken by policy makers to address perinatal illicit substance use and screening provides the contextual framework needed to understand why specific policy tools were selected when designing public policy to address these issues. The analysis and evaluation of this theory was conducted using the theory description and critical reflection model.

The intersection of gender and drug use-related stigma: A mixed methods systematic review and synthesis of the literature

BACKGROUND

Substance use-related stigma is a significant barrier to care among persons who use drugs (PWUD). Less is known regarding how intersectional identities, like gender, shape experiences of substance use-related stigma. We sought to answer the following question: Do men or women PWUD experience more drug use stigma?

METHODS

Data were drawn from a systematic review of the global, peer-reviewed scientific literature on substance use-related stigma conducted through 2017 and guided by the Stigma and Substance Use Process Model and PRISMA guidelines. Articles were included in the present analysis if they either qualitatively illustrated themes related to the gendered nature of drug use-related stigma, or quantitatively tested the moderating effect of gender on drug use-related stigma.

RESULTS

Of the 75 studies included, 40 (53 %) were quantitative and 35 (47 %) were qualitative. Of the quantitative articles, 22 (55 %) found no association between gender and drug use-related stigma, 4 (10 %) identified women who use drugs (WWUD) were more stigmatized, and 2 (5 %) determined men who use drugs (MWUD) were more stigmatized. In contrast, nearly all (34; 97 %) of the qualitative articles demonstrated WWUD experienced greater levels of drug use-related stigma.

CONCLUSION

The quantitative literature is equivocal regarding the influence of gender on drug use-related stigma, but the qualitative literature more clearly demonstrates WWUD experience greater levels of stigma. The use of validated drug use-related stigma measures and the tailoring of stigma scales to WWUD are needed to understand the role of stigma in heightening the disproportionate harms experienced by WWUD.

Problematic substance use or problematic substance use policies?

This special issue on substance use issues comes at a critical time for Canadian health policy makers and researchers. Most attention is currently focussed on the opioid crisis and the potential impacts of cannabis legalization. However, our most widely used and harmful substances continue to be alcohol and nicotine. Our policies to reduce harms from these substances are failing. While alcohol control policies are being gradually abandoned, opportunities to maximize the harm reduction potential of new, alternative and safer nicotine delivery devices are not being grasped. More generally, a greater focus is needed on harm reduction strategies that are informed by the experience of marginalized people with severe substance use-related problems so as to not exacerbate health inequities. In order to better inform policy responses, we recommend innovative approaches to monitoring and surveillance that maximize the use of multiple data sources, such as those used in the Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms (CSUCH) project. Greater attention to precision in defining patterns of risky use and harms is also needed to support policies that more accurately reflect and respond to actual levels of substance use-related harm in Canadian society.

Quality Improvement Opportunities Identified Through Case Review of Pregnancy-Related Deaths From Cardiovascular Disease

OBJECTIVE

To analyze quality improvement opportunities (QIOs) identified through review of cases of maternal death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) by the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review committee.

DESIGN

Qualitative descriptive design using thematic analysis.

SAMPLE

A total of 269 QIOs identified from 87 pregnancy-related deaths from CVD in California from 2002 to 2007.

METHODS

We coded and thematically organized the 269 QIOs using three of the four domains commonly applied in quality improvement initiatives for maternal health care: Readiness, Recognition, and Response. Data did not include reporting issues, so the Reporting domain was excluded from the analysis.

RESULTS

The most prevalent theme within the Readiness domain was the care of women in a facility or a department within a facility that was not equipped to handle the severity of their CVD conditions. For Recognition, a common theme was an underappreciation of the severity of illness, including high-risk factors and clinical warning signs, which led to inaccurate diagnoses, such as anxiety or asthma, and missed diagnoses of CVD. The lack of recognition of CVD led to delays in treatment or inaccurate treatment, the leading themes in the Response domain.

CONCLUSION

Identification of CVD or its risk factors during pregnancy can lead to timely, multidisciplinary approaches to management and birth in facilities that offer appropriately trained health care professionals and appropriate equipment. Maternal mortality can be reduced if signs and symptoms of CVD in women are recognized early and treatment modalities are implemented quickly during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.

Problematisation and regulation: Bodies, risk, and recovery within the context of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

BACKGROUND

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is an anticipated effect of maternal drug use during pregnancy. Yet it remains a contested area of policy and practice. In this paper, we contribute to ongoing debates about the way NAS is understood and responded to, through different treatment regimes, or logics of care. Our analysis examines the role of risk and recovery discourses, and the way in which the bodies of women and babies are conceptualised within these.

METHODS

Qualitative interviews with 16 parents (9 mothers, 7 fathers) and four focus groups with 27 health and social care professionals based in Scotland. All the mothers were prescribed opioid replacement therapy and parents were interviewed after their baby was born. Data collection explored understandings about the causes and consequences of NAS and experiences of preparing for, and caring for, a baby with NAS. Data were analysed using a narrative and discursive approach.

RESULTS

Parent and professional accounts simultaneously upheld and subverted logics of care which govern maternal drug use and the assessment and care of mother and baby. Despite acknowledging the unpredictability of NAS symptoms and the inability of the women who are opioid-dependent to prevent NAS, logics of care centred on 'proving' risk and recovery. Strategies appealed to the need for caution, intervening and control, and obscured alternative logics of care that focus on improving support for mother-infant dyads and the family as a whole.

CONCLUSION

Differing notions of risk and recovery that govern maternal drug use, child welfare and family life both compel and trouble all logics of care. The contentious nature of NAS reflects wider socio-political and moral agendas that ultimately have little to do with meeting the needs of mothers and babies. Fundamental changes in the principles, quality and delivery of care could improve outcomes for families affected by NAS.

Canadian Sex Workers Weigh the Costs and Benefits of Disclosing Their Occupational Status to Health Providers

Prostitution stigma has been shown to negatively affect the work, personal lives, and health of sex workers. Research also shows that sex workers have much higher unmet health care needs than the general population. Less is known about how stigma obstructs their health-seeking behaviors. For our thematic analysis, we explored Canadian sex workers' accounts (N = 218) of accessing health care services for work-related health concerns. Results show that participants had mixed feelings about revealing their work status in health care encounters. Those who decided not to disclose were fearful of negative treatment or expressed confidentiality concerns or lack of relevancy. Those who divulged their occupational status to a health provider mainly described benefits, including nonjudgment, relationship building, and comprehensive care, while a minority experienced costs that included judgment, stigma, and inappropriate health care. Overall, health professionals in Canada appear to be doing a good job relating to sex workers who come forward for care. There is still a need for some providers to learn how to better converse with, diagnose, and care for people in sex work jobs that take into account the heavy costs associated with prostitution stigma.

Puérperas dependientes de crack: dificultades y facilidades afrontadas en el cuidado al recién nacido

Introducción: los recién nacidos de dependientes de crack sufren los efectos de la dependencia ya en las primeras horas de vida y pueden presentar cuadro de irritabilidad, sudoración, hipertonía y dificultad en los ciclos de sueño y vigilia. Esta realidad requiere el auxilio profesional a la puérpera usuaria de crack para su instrumentalización al cuidado del recién nacido. Objetivo: conocer dificultades y facilidades de puérperas dependientes de crack en el cuidado al recién nacido. Método: se realizó investigación con enfoque cualitativo en una maternidad del sur de Brasil, por medio de entrevistas semiestructuradas con 18 puérperas. Resultados: desde el análisis de contenido, se identificaron como dificultades: abstinencia de la droga, no lactancia, falta de respaldo familiar, vigilancia de los profesionales del Consejo Tutelar (Similar al Bienestar Familiar en Colombia), falta de habilidad para la realización de cuidados directos al recién nacido, miedo a lastimarlo y falta de condiciones financieras. Como facilidades, se encontró que el recién nacido llore poco, sea tranquilo y quieto; respaldo de la familia, vecinos y amigos, y auxilio financiero del compañero y familiares. Conclusión: puérperas dependientes de crack necesitan de auxilio para que cumplan su rol de cuidadoras del recién nacido. Deben ser identificadas durante el embarazo y acompañadas de forma a que realicen el prenatal, orientadas acerca de los cuidados con el niño y recibidas en servicios de apoyo.

Fear, Risk, and the Responsible Choice: Risk Narratives and Lowering the Rate of Caesarean Sections in High-income Countries

In Canada, as elsewhere in the world, caesarean sections are the most common surgical procedure performed in hospitals annually. Recent national statistics indicate 28% of infants in Canada are born by c-section while in the United States that number rises to 33%. This is despite World Health Organization recommendations that at a population level only 10-15% of births warrant this form of medical intervention. This trend has become cause for concern in recent decades due to the short and long-term health risks to pregnant women and infants, as well as the financial burden it places on public health care systems. Others warn this trend may result in a collective loss of cultural knowledge of a normal physiological process and, in the process, establish a new "normal" childbirth. Despite a range of interventions to curb c-section rates-enhanced prenatal care and innovation in pregnancy monitoring, change in hospital level policies, procedures and protocols, as well as public education campaigns-they remain stubbornly resistant to stabilization, let alone, reduction in high-income countries. We explore-through a review of the academic and grey literature-the role of cultural and social narratives around risk, and the responsibilization of the pregnant woman and the medical practitioner in creating this kind of resistance to intervention today.

A Grounded Theory of Mothering in the Early Years for Women Recovering From Substance Use

Women in recovery from addiction experience significant sociostructural barriers to reestablishing self, family, and home after having a baby. The aim of this grounded theory study was to describe pathways that women and their families followed and how transitions were experienced in the early years after receiving services through an integrated community-based maternity program. Eighteen women completed questionnaires and participated in a series of semistructured interviews over 2 years. The overall process women experienced was that of holding it together, which women did by restoring their sense of self during recovery, becoming a strong center for their family, and creating a sense of home no matter what the circumstances. Key elements supporting women in their transition to recovery and parenthood included longer term health, social, and recovery programs and services that addressed determinants of health (in particular, gender, housing, and income), and receiving support provided from strengths-based perspectives.