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

    Authors

    E. J. Brown;F. B. Smith

    Comments

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    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

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