FASD prevention:
Making the links
to woman abuse,
substance use,
and mental
health
Dr. Amy Salmon, Managing Director
Canada Northwest FASD Research Network
Clinical Asst. Prof., UBC School of Population and Public
Health
Violence against women and
FASD prevention
Study of Birth Mothers of 160 children with
FAS
Of the 80 interviewed:
►
100% were sexually, physically or emotionally
abused
►
80% met the diagnostic criteria for a “serious
mental illness”
►
80% lived with men who did not want them to
quit drinking when they were pregnant
Astley, S. J., Bailey, D., Talbot, C., & Clarren, S. K. (2000). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
Primary Prevention through FASD Diagnosis II: A comprehensive profile of 80 birth
mothers of children with FAS. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 35(5), 509-519.
“ I think it needs to be everybody’s
responsibility. I don’t think it should just be
put on the mothers. I think it should be the
father’s job. I mean, his dad… made me
drink a couple of times when I was
pregnant with him, because he was… I
mean, to try and make us not to fight, he
would try to get me to drink, when I was
angry, and that kind of stuff.”- Shannon
The Uterine Tradition: Woman
as Vessel
Matthews 1987
“Just Say No”: The
Shame and Blame
Approach
Maternal Substance Use
as Fetal Abuse
Experiences and expectations of discrimination are barriers
to treatment and care
To just focus on Aboriginals, it makes you feel more …
what’s the word? I don’t know if stigmata is really applicable,
but there’s a lot all ready. Like, people talk about treaties, and
people already think badly about Aboriginal people… Then they
don’t want to go. You know, like they feel they don’t deserve help.
And then people who are racially biased, they’ll be, “see look.”
There are people who complain about “oh, they get all these things.
You can see why they need it. They can’t not drink when they’re
pregnant”. That what I mean about stigmata, like, the bad label.
-Jo-Anne
…and barriers to care can entrench experiences and
expectations of discrimination
“When you don’t get health care,
you don’t get the sense of belonging,
you don’t get the sense of your
importance”
~ Sharon
Welcoming, low threshold, and outreach services
are key
►The most important aspect of service
provision is a supportive, nonjudgmental approach
- addressing fear, stigma, misinformation
and discrimination
- meeting women “where they are at”
- helping women with related harms,
especially harms from violence
For more
information
www.canfasd.ca
Dr. Amy Salmon asalmon@cw.bc.ca