Pregnant substance-abusing women in involuntary treatment: Attachment experiences with the
unborn child
Sammanfattning
BACKGROUND - Use of coercion against pregnant women who misuse substances was legalised
in Norway in 1996. The background for the law was that substance abuse during pregnancy
represents a significant health problem for the child.
AIM - The main aim of this study was to explore if an attachment between the mother and her unborn
child was possible in a context of coercion as experienced from the woman’s perspective. The
women had many challenges, such as lack of social support and poor living conditions.
MATERIAL - Data were collected in eight qualitative indepth interviews.
FINDINGS - The main findings show how involuntary detention enabled safety for and connection with
the unborn child. Within this context, the pregnant substance-abusing women’s own relational
experiences and developmental histories represent the most significant barrier for their ability to
bond with the expected child.
CONCLUSIONS - The study underlines the importance of helping women with their own attachment
experiences in order to break the generational transference of risk and pathology, and in this way,
start the attachment process to the unborn child during the coerced treatment stay. Implications of the
findings are discussed.