TY - JOUR
T1 - “I Was Treated Differently”
T2 - Reproductive Health Care Experiences Among Women With Recent Experiences of Incarceration, Homelessness, And/Or Substance Use in a Medically Underserved Area in the Southwestern US
AU - Hackett, Colleen
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2025/1
Y1 - 2025/1
N2 - Background: Women with upstream social determinants of health, particularly those with recent experiences of incarceration, homelessness, and/or substance use, encounter a series of barriers in accessing health care services and consequently face poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Driven by a community concern for increasing rates of syphilis and congenital syphilis among women who are structurally disadvantaged, this study focuses on their experiences with reproductive healthcare access across healthcare settings. Research Design and Study Sample: This community-based pláticas (conversational) research project gathered 12 in-depth interviews and testimonios (testimonies) with women who reported a criminalized upstream barrier (incarceration, homelessness, and/or substance use) in a small city in the southwestern U.S. – most of whom identified as Latina/Hispanic. Analysis and Results: Using a grounded analysis and drawing upon Chicana feminist methodologies, this study identifies four major themes: (1) homelessness and economic vulnerabilities, (2) incarceration and health care, (3) drug use, provider stigma, and motherhood, and (4) desired changes to the healthcare experience. Conclusion: Results highlight the need for economic and transportation supports, community-based preventive services as alternatives to incarcerated healthcare, along with more compassionate and structurally competent provider-patient dialogue.
AB - Background: Women with upstream social determinants of health, particularly those with recent experiences of incarceration, homelessness, and/or substance use, encounter a series of barriers in accessing health care services and consequently face poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Driven by a community concern for increasing rates of syphilis and congenital syphilis among women who are structurally disadvantaged, this study focuses on their experiences with reproductive healthcare access across healthcare settings. Research Design and Study Sample: This community-based pláticas (conversational) research project gathered 12 in-depth interviews and testimonios (testimonies) with women who reported a criminalized upstream barrier (incarceration, homelessness, and/or substance use) in a small city in the southwestern U.S. – most of whom identified as Latina/Hispanic. Analysis and Results: Using a grounded analysis and drawing upon Chicana feminist methodologies, this study identifies four major themes: (1) homelessness and economic vulnerabilities, (2) incarceration and health care, (3) drug use, provider stigma, and motherhood, and (4) desired changes to the healthcare experience. Conclusion: Results highlight the need for economic and transportation supports, community-based preventive services as alternatives to incarcerated healthcare, along with more compassionate and structurally competent provider-patient dialogue.
KW - homelessness
KW - reproductive health
KW - substance use
KW - testimonios
KW - upstream barriers
KW - women
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85201810043&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85201810043&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/2752535X241277352
DO - 10.1177/2752535X241277352
M3 - Article
C2 - 39168483
AN - SCOPUS:85201810043
SN - 2752-535X
VL - 45
SP - 207
EP - 221
JO - Community Health Equity Research and Policy
JF - Community Health Equity Research and Policy
IS - 2
ER -