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Paper Presentation

Addictions

Session: Identifying the connections between substance use and grief

Vilomah: Experiences of Grief and Loss Among Justice-Involved Women who Use Drugs

Semi-structured life history interviews conducted with justice-involved women who use drugs describe their experiences of maternal grief and loss related to a child’s death or the termination of their paternal rights. Findings explore the impact of these experiences on drug use and suggest opportunities for social work intervention.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, attendees should be able to:
  1. Upon completion, the participant will be able to summarize major findings identified in review of literature about mothers’ grief and loss related to the death of a child among justice-involved women who use drugs.
  2. Upon completion, the participant will be able to explicate theory which connects women’s grief and loss with drug use and criminal behavior.
  3. Upon completion, the participant will be able to list three actions that social workers can take to address maternal grief and loss among justice-involved women who use drugs.