Title

Rural African-American women who use cocaine: Needs and future aspirations related to their mothering role

Authors

Authors

E. J. Brown;F. B. Smith

Comments

Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

Abbreviated Journal Title

Community Ment. Health J.

Keywords

rural; African-American; mothers; ethnography; cocaine; SUBSTANCE-ABUSE; FAMILIES; SERVICES; CONTEXT; IMPACT; CARE; Health Policy & Services; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; Psychiatry

Abstract

The overall purpose of this ethnographic study was to understand the culture of rural African-American women who use cocaine, with this report focusing on their perceived mothering needs and future aspirations. Three semi-structured interviews and participant observations were conducted over four years with 30 respondents, of which 24 were mothers. Data for this article were derived from the 21 mothers who cared for dependent children. Four mothering-related needs (escape from boredom, others to help mother for them, not having others' children to mother, and having children to "keep them going") and two categories of mothering-related aspirations (child-focused or self-focused) were identified. Given the limited resources in the area, an unexpected finding was the absence of some needs and aspirations. Theoretical explanations for the themes identified as well as those not identified are posited, and practice and research implications are presented.

Journal Title

Community Mental Health Journal

Volume

42

Issue/Number

1

Publication Date

1-1-2006

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

65

Last Page

76

WOS Identifier

WOS:000237271500006

ISSN

0010-3853

Share

COinS