Mothers at the Intersection of Trauma, Addiction, and Involvement with the Criminal Legal System: An Analysis of Multiple Case Studies
The study focuses on the complex interconnection of race, sexuality, and socioeconomic background in shaping the stories of mothers struggling with addiction disorders as they attempt to recover from traumatic experiences. A sample of 45 mothers was employed in the study. Using case study analysis m...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251317657 |
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| author | Monica Solinas-Saunders PhD Maureen L. Petrunich-Rutherford PhD Mark D. Thomas PhD Natasha R. Brown PhD Kevin L. McElmurry PhD Melissa A. Jones PhD Abigail M. Cognetti BSc Lytina Andrews BSc Amira Zahabi BSc |
| author_facet | Monica Solinas-Saunders PhD Maureen L. Petrunich-Rutherford PhD Mark D. Thomas PhD Natasha R. Brown PhD Kevin L. McElmurry PhD Melissa A. Jones PhD Abigail M. Cognetti BSc Lytina Andrews BSc Amira Zahabi BSc |
| author_sort | Monica Solinas-Saunders PhD |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The study focuses on the complex interconnection of race, sexuality, and socioeconomic background in shaping the stories of mothers struggling with addiction disorders as they attempt to recover from traumatic experiences. A sample of 45 mothers was employed in the study. Using case study analysis methodologies, the stories of 6 mothers were used as representative cases based on their individual characteristics, community settings, and institutional experiences. Further, the 6 cases were used to describe the difficulties experienced by participants across 3 major life transitions: (1) childhood (2) initiation to drug use and addiction disorders (3) motherhood . Across these life transitions, participants emphasized the relevance of traumatic experiences and mental health disorders as main reasons for their drug addiction. For each theme highlighted in the narrative of each case, a connection to all other participants was made to summarize the findings in the whole sample. The analysis indicates that while most mothers experienced trauma during their lifetime, mothers who identified as members of racial/ethnic minorities and those who identified as lesbians were more likely to report trauma from prejudice and discrimination. Furthermore, the analysis highlights that mothers who identified as members of racial minorities were more likely to have their children placed in foster care. In the study, mothers’ involvement with the criminal legal system contributed to the challenges they experienced while renegotiating their relationships with their children. These mothers’ lived experiences and the complexity of the dynamics they described—especially their interactions with the legal system—could potentially help other researchers frame new hypotheses that could be tested by larger empirical studies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8db843db000a4da0807d62932c5efe4e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0046-9580 1945-7243 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| spelling | doaj-art-8db843db000a4da0807d62932c5efe4e2025-02-03T10:03:35ZengSAGE PublishingInquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing0046-95801945-72432025-02-016210.1177/00469580251317657Mothers at the Intersection of Trauma, Addiction, and Involvement with the Criminal Legal System: An Analysis of Multiple Case StudiesMonica Solinas-Saunders PhD0Maureen L. Petrunich-Rutherford PhD1Mark D. Thomas PhD2Natasha R. Brown PhD3Kevin L. McElmurry PhD4Melissa A. Jones PhD5Abigail M. Cognetti BSc6Lytina Andrews BSc7Amira Zahabi BSc8Indiana University Northwest, Gary, Indiana, USAIndiana University Northwest, Gary, Indiana, USAIndiana University Northwest, Gary, Indiana, USAIndiana University Northwest, Gary, Indiana, USAIndiana University Northwest, Gary, Indiana, USAIndiana University Northwest, Gary, Indiana, USAIndiana University Northwest, Gary, Indiana, USAIndiana University Northwest, Gary, Indiana, USAIndiana University Northwest, Gary, Indiana, USAThe study focuses on the complex interconnection of race, sexuality, and socioeconomic background in shaping the stories of mothers struggling with addiction disorders as they attempt to recover from traumatic experiences. A sample of 45 mothers was employed in the study. Using case study analysis methodologies, the stories of 6 mothers were used as representative cases based on their individual characteristics, community settings, and institutional experiences. Further, the 6 cases were used to describe the difficulties experienced by participants across 3 major life transitions: (1) childhood (2) initiation to drug use and addiction disorders (3) motherhood . Across these life transitions, participants emphasized the relevance of traumatic experiences and mental health disorders as main reasons for their drug addiction. For each theme highlighted in the narrative of each case, a connection to all other participants was made to summarize the findings in the whole sample. The analysis indicates that while most mothers experienced trauma during their lifetime, mothers who identified as members of racial/ethnic minorities and those who identified as lesbians were more likely to report trauma from prejudice and discrimination. Furthermore, the analysis highlights that mothers who identified as members of racial minorities were more likely to have their children placed in foster care. In the study, mothers’ involvement with the criminal legal system contributed to the challenges they experienced while renegotiating their relationships with their children. These mothers’ lived experiences and the complexity of the dynamics they described—especially their interactions with the legal system—could potentially help other researchers frame new hypotheses that could be tested by larger empirical studies.https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251317657 |
| spellingShingle | Monica Solinas-Saunders PhD Maureen L. Petrunich-Rutherford PhD Mark D. Thomas PhD Natasha R. Brown PhD Kevin L. McElmurry PhD Melissa A. Jones PhD Abigail M. Cognetti BSc Lytina Andrews BSc Amira Zahabi BSc Mothers at the Intersection of Trauma, Addiction, and Involvement with the Criminal Legal System: An Analysis of Multiple Case Studies Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| title | Mothers at the Intersection of Trauma, Addiction, and Involvement with the Criminal Legal System: An Analysis of Multiple Case Studies |
| title_full | Mothers at the Intersection of Trauma, Addiction, and Involvement with the Criminal Legal System: An Analysis of Multiple Case Studies |
| title_fullStr | Mothers at the Intersection of Trauma, Addiction, and Involvement with the Criminal Legal System: An Analysis of Multiple Case Studies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mothers at the Intersection of Trauma, Addiction, and Involvement with the Criminal Legal System: An Analysis of Multiple Case Studies |
| title_short | Mothers at the Intersection of Trauma, Addiction, and Involvement with the Criminal Legal System: An Analysis of Multiple Case Studies |
| title_sort | mothers at the intersection of trauma addiction and involvement with the criminal legal system an analysis of multiple case studies |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251317657 |
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