The interplay between interpersonal dynamics, treatment barriers, and larger social forces: an exploratory study of drug-using couples in Hartford, CT

Abstract

Background: The drug treatment field tends to place emphasis on the individual rather than the individual in social context. While there are a growing number of studies indicating that drug-using intimate partners are likely to play an important role in determining treatment options, little attention has been given to the experience and complex treatment needs of illicit drug-using (heroin, cocaine, crack) couples.

Barriers and facilitators for alcohol treatment for women: Are there more or less for rural women?

“…Our findings of strong to moderate associations between the enabling factors and gender in this report are consistent with other national surveys (Brady & Ashley, 2005;Mulder et al, 2000;Simmons, 2006). In our study, women identified two major barriers: treatment affordability and availability.…”

“He Was the Story of My Drug Use Life”: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study of the Impact of Partner Incarceration on Substance Misuse Patterns Among African American Women

“…Turning first to formal support, all but two T2 women entered treatment shortly after their partners were incarcerated, and about half of the T1 women entered treatment during the follow-up period. As Simmons' (2006) research suggests, partner incarceration seems to have created a space in which women in our sample could engage in treatment free from concerns about their partners' responses or activities and about whether their recovery would be damaged by their partners' ongoing use. Additionally, women's decision to enter treatment may have been strengthened by the crises unfolding simultaneously in multiple domains of their lives: past research suggests that feeling "out of control" catalyzes treatment entry among women (Green, Polen, Dickinson, Lynch, & Bennett, 2002;Kaskutas, 1996).…”

“…Payne found that several drug-using women began injecting drugs after their partners were imprisoned (Payne, 2007). In contrast, Simmons found that women often entered drug treatment when their partners were incarcerated (Simmons, 2006). While these studies generated divergent results on the surface, they suggest a common underlying conclusion: losing a partner to prison powerfully affects women's substance use.…”

“…Women's partners can reinforce their drug use and women may calibrate their use so it is in sync with that of their partners (Amaro & Hardy-Fanta, 1995;Riehman et al, 2000). Additionally, some women access drugs through or with a partner (Amaro & Hardy-Fanta, 1995;MacRae & Aalto, 2000;Simmons, 2006). Losing a partner may thus remove a key source of reinforcement and calibration, and may disrupt women's access to substances.…”

“…Women's substance use, addictive careers, and recovery trajectories are often intertwined with those of their romantic partners (Amaro & Hardy-Fanta, 1995;Fals-Stewart et al, 1999;Riehman et al, 2000;Simmons, 2006). Women's partners can reinforce their drug use and women may calibrate their use so it is in sync with that of their partners (Amaro & Hardy-Fanta, 1995;Riehman et al, 2000).…”