Unresolved Feelings of Guilt and Shame in the Maternal Role With Substance-Dependent African American Women

Abstract

To identify care needs of African American women residing in an inner-city transitional home for substance abuse, with the goal of facilitating their ability to move successfully through treatment and recovery. Design : Ethnography. The convenience sample consisted of 12 key participants and 18 general participants. Data were collected 1996–1998. Method : Participant observation and focused interviews were used to collect data. Participants were asked open-ended questions designed to determine their care needs as they experienced treatment and recovery for substance abuse. Findings : Unresolved feelings of guilt and shame associated with perceptions of failure in the maternal role during their active addiction were discovered to be critical issue and possible barrier to successful treatment for African American women in a residential program for treatment of substance abuse. Conclusions : Unresolved feelings of guilt and shame associated with consequences of the use and abuse of substances, particularly with perceptions of failure in the maternal role, could serve as barriers to successful treatment and recovery for substance-dependent African American women. Nursing actions designed to facilitate healing with these women could offer the potential for improved maternal and child health and well being.