TY - JOUR
T1 - What constitutes a women’s recovery from addiction?
T2 - examining lived experiences and recovery capital of women from diverse European backgrounds
AU - Nisic, Mulka
AU - Best, David
AU - Patton, David
AU - Ford, Tracey
AU - Heine, Sarah
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2025/1/15
Y1 - 2025/1/15
N2 - The majority of research on addiction recovery has been based on male samples using traditional, structured methods and interviews. This study brings the voices of women from diverse European countries to bring in authentic lived experience voices into the research and showcase their perspectives on what constitutes their recovery journey and how these sources are intertwined. This study employs the Photovoice method as a participatory, arts-based approach to examine recovery experiences of 17 women from diverse backgrounds in the UK, Sweden, and the Balkans, engaging participants throughout the research process. By engaging women with histories of substance addiction in discussing their photographs and linked narratives, we identified 11 themes that illuminate recovery complexities. Our findings highlight the interplay between personal, social, and community recovery capital, revealing the significant influence of gender-specific challenges and stigma. The collaborative nature of this study generated lived experience insights into recovery capital and enhanced visibility and participation, underscoring the method’s potential in capturing nuanced recovery dynamics. Recognizing that recovery is not a straightforward process and often involves ongoing barriers, the study adds diverse women's perspectives to the literature, emphasizing the importance of developing effective gendered and culturally-sensitive approach to support systems.
AB - The majority of research on addiction recovery has been based on male samples using traditional, structured methods and interviews. This study brings the voices of women from diverse European countries to bring in authentic lived experience voices into the research and showcase their perspectives on what constitutes their recovery journey and how these sources are intertwined. This study employs the Photovoice method as a participatory, arts-based approach to examine recovery experiences of 17 women from diverse backgrounds in the UK, Sweden, and the Balkans, engaging participants throughout the research process. By engaging women with histories of substance addiction in discussing their photographs and linked narratives, we identified 11 themes that illuminate recovery complexities. Our findings highlight the interplay between personal, social, and community recovery capital, revealing the significant influence of gender-specific challenges and stigma. The collaborative nature of this study generated lived experience insights into recovery capital and enhanced visibility and participation, underscoring the method’s potential in capturing nuanced recovery dynamics. Recognizing that recovery is not a straightforward process and often involves ongoing barriers, the study adds diverse women's perspectives to the literature, emphasizing the importance of developing effective gendered and culturally-sensitive approach to support systems.
KW - women
KW - gender
KW - recovery
KW - recovery capital
KW - addiction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85214902225&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/16066359.2024.2446861
DO - 10.1080/16066359.2024.2446861
M3 - Article
JO - Addiction Research & Theory
JF - Addiction Research & Theory
ER -