Projects

People who use drugs (PWUD) are often stigmatized for their drug use and women who use drugs while parenting a child are especially stigmatized. The use of narratives, or storytelling, has been found to be a promising approach to stigma reduction, in part through the effect of transportation, but little research has focused on the stigma associated with parenting and drug use. Interactive narratives, where the reader responds to prompts to advance the story, are theorized to increase the effect of transportation and several studies have shown reductions in stigma as well as increases in empathy or compassion The primary purpose of this study is to test the relative efficacy of an interactive, digitalized story on the stigma associated with using drugs while parenting a child.

This study will search the published and grey literature for evaluations (developmental, formative, and outcome) of programs designed to coordinate birthing people (BPWUD) who use drugs' engagement in care across healthcare and social service agencies and institutions. Engaging and sustaining BPWUD in care services is critical for healthy outcomes of both parent and child.

Narratives, although promising, have not been fully investigated as a stigma-reduction strategy. It is critical to understand how narratives have been used in health-related stigma reduction interventions, including the types of health-related stigma to which it has been applied, how stories have been developed and delivered, and how they have been evaluated. 

Narcofeminism Storyshare (NFSS) is an iterative storyshare model developed by NC Survivors Union, a harm reduction and advocacy organization led by directly impacted people, that uses autobiographical story

development by women and gender diverse people who use drugs to disrupt stigmatizing societal narratives, achieve healing for individuals and communities, and spark organizing and structural change. This study aims to evaluate NFSS' efficacy in reducing self-, social, and structural stigma.

Recovery journeys frequently involve entering and exiting multiple treatment centers as well as engaging with other health care services and providers. Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) treatment options have increased in recent years, yet little is known about how the lived experience of accessing MOUD treatment coincides with other healthcare needs.Using a holistic narrative analysis, we are examining treatment journeys across the lifespan from telephone interviews (N=34) conducted with people who received at least one clinical encounter at a MOUD treatment facility within a healthcare system. 

Contraceptive misinformation—disseminated widely on social media and shaped by state political and policy environments—adversely influences emerging adult women’s understanding of hormonal methods, undermines trust in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care, and contributes to reduced contraceptive uptake and increased risk of unintended pregnancy. The overarching aim of this mixed method study is to develop and pilot a survey instrument with emerging adult women aged 18-25 residing in California (CA), Florida (FL), and Pennsylvania (PA) in order to understand the consequences of contraceptive misinformation.