Elizabeth Peacock-Chambers1,2, Emily Feinberg3, Molly Senn-McNally2, Maria Carolina Clark2, Briana Jurkowski4,5, Nancy E Suchman6, Nancy Byatt7, Peter D Friedmann2. 1. Institute for Healthcare Delivery and Population Science, elizabeth.peacock-chambersMD@baystatehealth.org. 2. University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate, Springfield, Massachusetts. 3. Department of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts. 4. Institute for Healthcare Delivery and Population Science. 5. University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts. 6. Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; and. 7. Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Opioid-exposed infants frequently qualify for early intervention (EI). However, many eligible families choose not to enroll in this voluntary service. This study aims to understand the perceptions and experiences that may impact engagement with, and the potential benefits of, EI services among mothers in recovery from opioid use disorders (OUDs). METHODS: We conducted semistructured qualitative interviews (n = 22) and 1 focus group (n = 6) with mothers in recovery from OUDs in western Massachusetts. Transcripts were coded and analyzed by using a descriptive approach. RESULTS: The mean participant age was 32 years, and 13 had a high school degree or less. Five major themes emerged revealing mothers' development through stages of engagement in EI services: (1) fear, guilt, and shame related to drug use (emotions acting as barriers to enrollment); (2) the question of whether it is "needed" (deciding whether there is value in EI for opioid-exposed infants); (3) starting with "judgment" (baseline level of perceived stigma that parents in recovery associate with EI); (4) breaking down the "wall" (how parents overcome the fear and perceived judgment to build partnerships with providers); and (5) "above and beyond" (need for a personal connection with mothers and concrete supports through EI in addition to the child-focused services provided). CONCLUSIONS: Barriers to engagement in EI among mothers in recovery from OUDs include a range of emotions, perceived stigma, and ambivalence. An effort to purposefully listen to and care for mothers through a strengths-based, bigenerational approach may help establish greater connections and foster stronger EI engagement among families affected by OUDs.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Opioid-exposed infants frequently qualify for early intervention (EI). However, many eligible families choose not to enroll in this voluntary service. This study aims to understand the perceptions and experiences that may impact engagement with, and the potential benefits of, EI services among mothers in recovery from opioid use disorders (OUDs). METHODS: We conducted semistructured qualitative interviews (n = 22) and 1 focus group (n = 6) with mothers in recovery from OUDs in western Massachusetts. Transcripts were coded and analyzed by using a descriptive approach. RESULTS: The mean participant age was 32 years, and 13 had a high school degree or less. Five major themes emerged revealing mothers' development through stages of engagement in EI services: (1) fear, guilt, and shame related to drug use (emotions acting as barriers to enrollment); (2) the question of whether it is "needed" (deciding whether there is value in EI for opioid-exposed infants); (3) starting with "judgment" (baseline level of perceived stigma that parents in recovery associate with EI); (4) breaking down the "wall" (how parents overcome the fear and perceived judgment to build partnerships with providers); and (5) "above and beyond" (need for a personal connection with mothers and concrete supports through EI in addition to the child-focused services provided). CONCLUSIONS: Barriers to engagement in EI among mothers in recovery from OUDs include a range of emotions, perceived stigma, and ambivalence. An effort to purposefully listen to and care for mothers through a strengths-based, bigenerational approach may help establish greater connections and foster stronger EI engagement among families affected by OUDs.
Authors: S Marianne Nordhov; John A Rønning; Stein Erik Ulvund; Lauritz B Dahl; Per Ivar Kaaresen Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2011-12-19 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: Dawn M Magnusson; Cynthia S Minkovitz; Karen A Kuhlthau; Tania M Caballero; Kamila B Mistry Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2017-10-16 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: Mary-Margaret A Fill; Angela M Miller; Rachel H Wilkinson; Michael D Warren; John R Dunn; William Schaffner; Timothy F Jones Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2018-09 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: Davida M Schiff; Timothy Nielsen; Mishka Terplan; Malena Hood; Dana Bernson; Hafsatou Diop; Monica Bharel; Timothy E Wilens; Marc LaRochelle; Alexander Y Walley; Thomas Land Journal: Obstet Gynecol Date: 2018-08 Impact factor: 7.661
Authors: Amanda F Lowell; Elizabeth Peacock-Chambers; Amanda Zayde; Cindy L DeCoste; Thomas J McMahon; Nancy E Suchman Journal: Curr Addict Rep Date: 2021-07-15