Experiences of Mothers with Substance Use in the Care of Children in the First Year of Life: A Qualitative Content Analysis.
Fatemeh Bagheri, Monir Ramezani, Hassan Boskabadi and 1 others
PMID 41185859WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers with substance use described trying hard to feed, weigh, and soothe their infants, while also sometimes choosing drugs over care.
They relied on family or online advice and feared stigma.
Key findings
01Mothers described routine infant care such as breastfeeding or formula, diaper changes, bathing, weighing, and health-center visits.
02Some mothers sought childcare information from family, friends, and online sources, partly because they feared stigma and lacked knowledge.
03Some mothers described times when substance use took priority over infant care, such as leaving a crying baby to use drugs.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study heard only from mothers, not fathers, other caregivers, or health providers, so it cannot show how care actually happened or what others saw. All participants were from Mashhad in Khorasan Province, so experiences may not transfer to other regions or cultures. Qualitative interviews report what mothers said they did or felt. They do not measure infant outcomes or show that any support changes care. The sample was small and selected from hospital, treatment, and methadone settings, so it may not represent mothers who did not seek care or were not recruited.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include a funding or conflict-of-interest declaration. The publication types note non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that substance use caused neglect or that support services improve infant care. The study reports mothers' self-described experiences, not measured infant outcomes.