Influence of male partner incarceration on black women's substance use trajectories: A longitudinal qualitative study

Background: The United States is in the midst of a period of mass incarceration, the health effects of which have recently become the subject of research. This study is among the first to investigate how the loss of an intimate partner to incarceration affects patterns of substance use among Black women.

Methods: This longitudinal, qualitative study traces the substance use patterns and pathways to recovery that emerged among 15 Black women with substance use histories following the loss of an intimate partner to incarceration. Using grounded theory to analyze 4 waves of interview data collected over an 11-month period, the study investigates how the chronological process of a partner's “progress” through the criminal justice system— from arrest, to holding in jail, to prison sentencing, to eventual re-entry—impacts women's perceptions of the severity of their substance use.

Results: Preliminary findings reveal that women may be subjected to stress from decreased access to their substances of choice, increased financial burdens and parental responsibilities, housing shifts, and uncertainty about their ongoing relationships with incarcerated partners. The availability of social and instrumental support influenced whether partner incarceration served as 1) an intervention that altered women's perception of their substance use 2) an impetus to enter addiction treatment 3) a stressor contributing to increased substance use.

Conclusions: Preliminary results suggest the need for mental health interventions for this population and present a new line of research into the particular health effects that the 30-year rise in incarceration has at the individual and societal levels.