Philadelphia, PA -October 8, 2010 - Substance Abuse and African American Women Issues

Limited attention to ethnicity on substance abuse and women has resulted in assumptions that may not fit the experience of  women of color. This workshop employs a combined quantitative and qualitative design to investigate substance abuse in African American women ages 21 to 48. Life experiences of women with histories of chemical dependence are compared with women who were maintaining a nonabusing lifestyle. The presenter examine a history of parental substance abuse and child abuse, exposure to racism,  traumatic events, social support and spirituality. The substance abusing and nonabusing women were distinguished from each other in the areas of spirituality and family connectedness.