I am just a ‘maae’ (mother): experiences of mothers injecting drugs in Thailand

Abstract

Mothers who use drugs face much discriminatory action as society in general finds female drug users' modes of caring for their children unacceptable. In this article, I explore the ways in which Thai women's injecting practices revolve around the role of mother 'maae' and the ways they employ tactics to challenge the motherhood discourse. This article draws on in-depth interviews with 30 Thai mothers injecting drugs. Thai mothers injecting drugs struggled with stigma and self-blame. They internalise the values of the mother 'maae', that is, what the mother is supposed to be; attempting to combine their drug use with their parental responsibilities. Having a child is treated as a means for many women to manage the hostile social impacts of being an addict mother as well as anxieties about the future of their children. To maintain identity as a mother, as gender norms dictates, the mothers employ several tactics to defend that identity from the threats. In conclusion, the findings have implications for harm reduction and reproductive services for women using drugs in Thailand; health care providers need to appreciate the ramifications of the lived experiences of the women who take drugs.

The new mothers’ little helpers: medicalization, victimization, and criminalization of motherhood via prescription drugs

“…Despite positive intentions, prolonged nonmedical use often hindered the realization of these ideals and ultimately resulted in their criminalization, incarceration, and separation from children. This research builds upon previous scholarship by elucidating the complex negotiations women make in their lives as they strive to manage gendered expectations of their emotions, bodies, and behaviors, particularly among criminalized or drug-using women who have been discredited by broader society (Baker and Carson 1999;Couvrette, Brochu, and Plourde 2016;Ferraro 2006;Haritavorn 2016;McKim 2008;Richie 1996). Below, we outline the discursive and institutional factors that shape these women's experiences with Rx drugs.…”

“…The social construction of illicit substance-using mothers as "bad" resulted in the "criminalization of pregnancy" that caused the disproportionate arrest and incarceration of poor and non-White women (Baker and Carson 1999:349). As a result, many women who use drugs during and after pregnancy experience violence, stigma, and discrimination in both the public (health services), and the private (family) spheres, and in some instances, "the state uses its power to control or punish the women's behaviour by threatening to remove their children unless they enter treatment programmes" (Haritavorn 2016).…”

“…They are also twice as likely as men to be prescribed a psychotropic opiate (CASA 2003) or antianxiety drug (CDC 2013). Although there is considerable research focused upon women and mothers engaged in illicit drug use and other lawbreaking behaviors (Baker and Carson 1999;Carbone-Lopez, Owens, and Miller 2012;Couvrette, Brochu, and Plourde 2016;Haritavorn 2016;Laidler 1997;McKim 2008), there is relatively little focused upon women's nonmedical Rx drug use specifically.…”

Access and utilisation of reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health services among women who inject drugs in coastal Kenya: Findings from a qualitative study

“…Evidence suggests that many drug-using women are keen to achieve or maintain identity as a responsible mother, and to live out the values of being a responsible mother [48,49]. Often, they are cognizant that drug use is an impediment to these aspirations, and many are confronted with fear of hostile social judgements of being an addict mother [48]. Despite these adversities however, most of these women aspire to be successful mothers [43,49].…”

“…Therefore, leveraging on these motivations and aspirations would be an important and transformational strategy through which women can be supported to cope with stigma, selfblame, and minimize harm from drug use [48,49], while at the same time improving their access to essential RMCH services and outcomes. Demand can also be increased through specific incentives.…”