Journey through the valley of death : trauma narratives of female career substance abusers

Abstract

This study explored the trauma narratives of female career substance abusers with females who opted to participate in the research and who met the inclusion criteria. The study aimed to give a voice to the participants, to explore the mental health issues emerging from trauma as identified by the participants, and to address the notion of trauma-informed care within drug rehabilitation programmes in order for the latter to increase their effectiveness. As the research looked into subjective experiences, a qualitative inquiry was deemed as the one suitable. Audio-recorded, individual interviews were carried out with a sample of six participants who were recruited through local gatekeepers in the field of substance abuse and through a snowball sampling technique. The participants were also given a journal as part of the research process. A narrative design was the methodology used and the findings were presented in a fictional-non-fictional co-constructed narrative of a composite character by the name of “Caroline”, which is a co-constructed narrative in which the voices of all six participants are interwoven. The findings revealed a complex trajectory whereby early traumas led to an impact on the self identity of the participants as well as to further traumatic experiences linked to substance abuse and poor mental health, until a transformation occurred as a result of further traumas too which were calling for change. The study concludes with recommendations for practice, education, management, policy and research.