Moms Supporting Moms: Digital Storytelling With Peer Mentors in Recovery From Substance Use

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 823-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary T. Paterno ◽  
Alice Fiddian-Green ◽  
Aline Gubrium
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Digital Storytelling ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Peer Mentors ◽  
Shared Experience ◽  
Peer Mentorship ◽  
Recovery Programs ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
In Pregnancy

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a growing issue nationally, and SUD in pregnancy has significant consequences for mothers and their children. This article describes findings from a pilot project that used digital storytelling as a mechanism for understanding substance use and recovery from the perspective of women in recovery from SUD in pregnancy who worked as peer mentors with pregnant women currently experiencing SUD. Research on peer mentorship has primarily focused on outcomes for mentees but not the experience of the peer mentors themselves. In this qualitative study, a 3-day digital storytelling workshop was conducted with five women in recovery serving as peer mentors in their community. Each mentor also participated in an individual, in-depth interview. The digital storytelling workshop process helped peer mentors make linkages between their past substance use experiences to their present work of recovery, and fostered deep social connections between mentors through the shared experience. The workshop process also elicited a sense of hope among participants, which served as groundwork for developing advocacy-based efforts. Digital storytelling may be therapeutic for women in recovery and has the potential to be integrated into recovery programs to bolster hope and social support among participants.

Mothers and Mentors: Exploring Perinatal Addiction and Recovery Through Digital Storytelling

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary T. Paterno ◽  
Maud Low ◽  
Aline Gubrium ◽  
Kirk Sanger
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Digital Storytelling ◽  
Perinatal Outcomes ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
Peer Mentors ◽  
Story Sharing ◽  
Pregnant And Parenting Women ◽  
The Impact ◽  
In Pregnancy

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a growing problem for pregnant and parenting women. Woman-to-woman peer support may positively influence perinatal outcomes but little is known about the impact of such support on the women who are providing support. The purpose of this study was to describe experiences of addiction in pregnancy, recovery, and subsequently serving as a peer mentor to other pregnant women with active SUD among women in recovery in a rural setting. We conducted one digital storytelling workshop with five women serving as peer mentors with lived experience of perinatal SUD. The mentors faced significant stigma in pregnancy. They had each done the “inside work” to achieve recovery, and maintained recovery by staying balanced. Peer mentoring supported their own recovery, and story sharing was integral to this process. Peer-led support models may be an effective, self-sustaining method of providing pregnancy-specific peer support for SUD.

Substance use disorders in pregnancy

2006 ◽  
pp. 197-222
Author(s):  
William Flannery ◽  
Kim Wolff ◽  
E Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
In Pregnancy

DIGITAL STORYTELLING AND LIFELONG LEARNING EDUCATION IN INFORMAL CONTEXTS: THE MEMEX PROJECT

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Falchetti ◽  
◽  
Pascuala Migone ◽  
Cristina Da Milano ◽  
Maria Francesca Guida
Keyword(s):  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Digital Storytelling ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Cultural Participation ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
First Results ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
Audience Development

This contribution intends to present the design, methodology and first results of MEMEX, a 3-year project (2019-2022) funded by the European programme Horizon2020, aimed at promoting social cohesion through collaborative, heritage-related tools that provide inclusive access to tangible and intangible cultural heritage (CH) and, at the same time, facilitates encounters, discussions and interactions between communities at risk of social exclusion. Cultural participation is conceived as a way to engage communities in lifelong learning processes taking place in informal contexts, aiming at promoting social inclusion and cohesion. To achieve these goals, MEMEX uses innovative ICT tools that provide a new paradigm for interaction with heritage through Digital Storytelling (DS), weaving heritage-related memories and experiences of the participating communities with the physical places/objects that surround them. The project encompasses the ICT tools and the use of DS in the framework of Audience Development (AD), defined as a strategic and dynamic process enabling cultural organisations to place audiences at the centre of their action. The use of DS applied to CH is highly related to lifelong learning processes, since it provides knowledge, understanding, awareness, engagement and interest, enjoyment and creativity. The evaluation of a number of DS produced by migrant women participating in a MEMEX pilot project in Barcelona confirms the validity and soundness of the methodology and the power of DS to engage in cultural experiences.

Implementation of a Universal Screening Process for Substance Use in Pregnancy

2021 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
pp. 695-701
Author(s):  
Micah Ulrich ◽  
Elise Petersen Memmo ◽  
Alissa Cruz ◽  
Alexandra Heinz ◽  
Ronald E. Iverson
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Universal Screening ◽  
Screening Process ◽  
In Pregnancy

The value of a semi-formal peer mentorship program for first-year students’ studies, socialization and adaptation

2020 ◽  
pp. 146978742094521
Author(s):  
Art Tsang
Keyword(s):  
First Year ◽  
Peer Mentors ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Mentorship Program ◽  
Peer Mentorship ◽  
Mentor Relationships ◽  
University Life ◽  
Transitional Challenges ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Adaptation To College

Mentoring is a widespread practice in different sectors in society. It is particularly prevalent in higher education. Many have acknowledged the various transitional challenges encountered by first-year tertiary-level students. Greater support is therefore needed for this particular student group. This mixed-methods year-long case study examined the value of a semi-formal peer mentorship program for 10 first-year students who were low-achievers. It focused on the assistance provided by peer mentors for their studies, socialization, and adaptation to college/university life. The three mentors’ views of the program were also explored. Data were collected via questionnaires administered three times to the mentees and end-of-program group interviews for both the mentees and mentors. The overall findings show that the students perceived the assistance from the mentors to be useful for academic studies, socialization, and adaptation to college/university life. However, their perceptions varied across the entire year. The metaphors used by the mentees to describe their mentors—shepherds, torches and candlewax—depicted different facets of the mentee-mentor relationships and the value of the program. The study highlights the value of such semi-formal peer mentoring for low-achieving first-year students especially for institutions which lack resources.

scholarly journals Is intimate partner violence more common in pregnant women with severe mental illness? A retrospective study

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liana Suparare ◽  
Stuart J Watson ◽  
Ray Binns ◽  
Jacqueline Frayne ◽  
Megan Galbally
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Illicit Substance Use ◽  
In Pregnancy

Objective: To examine the risk of past and current experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) in women with severe mental illness (SMI) in pregnancy. Methods: We examined past and current experiences of IPV in women with SMI in pregnancy. The data of 304 women with SMI including schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders and Bipolar Disorder meeting International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM) criteria were extracted from hospital records at King Edward Memorial Hospital, Western Australia. Comparisons were made between our study data and the Australian population data reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which included data on pregnant women in Western Australia. Additional measures included reported demographics, substance use and pregnancy variables. Results: Around 48% of pregnant women with SMI had experienced IPV and were three times the risk when compared with the general pregnant population in Australia. There was no difference in rates of IPV in those women with psychotic disorders when compared with bipolar disorder. Furthermore, the rates of smoking and illicit substance use were significantly higher in pregnant women with SMI who experienced IPV compared with those who have not experienced IPV. Conclusion: These findings suggest women with SMI in pregnancy are at significantly higher risk of having experienced or experiencing IPV. In addition, IPV in pregnant women with SMI may increase the risk of smoking and illicit substance use. Together this suggests that maternity and mental health services should ensure there are both screening and support pathways for IPV that are developed and evaluated specifically for pregnant women with SMI.

scholarly journals The Presence and Consequences of Abortion Aversion in Scientific Research Related to Alcohol Use during Pregnancy

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (16) ◽  
pp. 2888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah C.M. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Pregnancy Outcome ◽  
State Policies ◽  
Chronic Alcoholic ◽  
State Policymaking ◽  
Abstinence From Alcohol ◽  
The U.S ◽  
In Pregnancy

Recent research has found that most U.S. state policies related to alcohol use during pregnancy adversely impact health. Other studies indicate that state policymaking around substance use in pregnancy—especially in the U.S.—appears to be influenced by an anti-abortion agenda rather than by public health motivations. This commentary explores the ways that scientists’ aversion to abortion appear to influence science and thus policymaking around alcohol and pregnancy. The three main ways abortion aversion shows up in the literature related to alcohol use during pregnancy include: (1) a shift from the recommendation of abortion for “severely chronic alcoholic women” to the non-acknowledgment of abortion as an outcome of an alcohol-exposed pregnancy; (2) the concern that recommendations of abstinence from alcohol use during pregnancy lead to terminations of otherwise wanted pregnancies; and (3) the presumption of abortion as a negative pregnancy outcome. Thus, abortion aversion appears to influence the science related to alcohol use during pregnancy, and thus policymaking—to the detriment of developing and adopting policies that reduce the harms from alcohol during pregnancy.

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