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'I'm Not a Bad Mom, I'm a Sick Mom': Using Photovoice to Examine Parental Recovery Narratives Given Institutional Constraints

  • 0Department of Sociology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
Sociology of health & illness +

|

June 14, 2025

Abstract

Substance use disorder is highly stigmatised despite its contemporary medicalisation. Because of the criminalisation of substance use, parents with substance use disorder must often navigate recovery while interacting with the criminal legal and child welfare systems. Restitution narratives of illness do not sufficiently capture the recovery experiences of parents with substance use disorder whose recoveries may better align with a quest narrative. This study uses qualitative photovoice discussion data to examine the recovery narratives constructed by parents with substance use disorder as they navigate institutional and interpersonal obligations. Using template analysis of 23 transcripts from photovoice group sessions with 29 individuals who have substance use disorder, we find that criminal legal system and child welfare system obligations limit participants' ability to fully engage in the recovery process. Carceral institutions act as a barrier to substance use recovery and parenting capacity by conferring punitive consequences that prioritise restitution. Parents in recovery must navigate these restitutive institutions while seeking self-improvement and using their lived experiences to rebuild community with their families. Understanding parental recovery experiences may inform the improved design and implementation of parenting and behavioural health supports available to help break intergenerational cycles of trauma and addiction.

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