Reclaiming Agency in Narratives of Abuse Among Women Who Use Meth

• In Event: Gendered Dimensions of Substance Use, Trauma, and Criminal Justice Policy

Abstract

Women who use methamphetamine (meth) face a heightened risk of being victims of violence, particularly in rural areas where strong patriarchal structures, socioeconomic disadvantage, and gender-segregated meth markets, in which the use of violence is a common form of sanction— contribute to their vulnerability. In addition to sociocultural factors, research shows that adult drug users are disproportionately likely to have experienced childhood trauma, with this link being especially strong for women. Using qualitative interviews conducted with incarcerated women who used meth in Missouri, this study investigates how women manage and cope with their experiences of violent victimization, by emphasizing their own agency through their narratives. We draw upon the principles of psychosocial criminology (Gadd & Jefferson, 2007), to interpret women’s stories in a way that gives attention to past experiences and trauma responses. Our findings reveal that some women reenact childhood traumatic experiences by selecting and staying with violent romantic partners— an unconscious strategy for regaining a sense of control that, paradoxically, entrenches them in abusive relationships.

Authors

• Heidi Grundetjern, Villanova University

• Stephanie DiPietro, University of Iowa