In 2016 a group of university researchers and parent advocates came together to participate in the first Canadian qualitative research project about parent advocacy following substance use death. Interviews with mothers across the country began in the summer of 2017 and continued throughout the year. Parent advocate research partners were central to this project and we had the privilege of working with Petra Schulz (Moms Stop the Harm), Donna May (mumsDU) and Jennifer Woodside (Voice of the Family). The team also included researchers and graduate students from University of Alberta, University of Calgary and the University of British Columbia.
Award
In 2021, our project was the recipient of the Excellence in Community-Campus Research Partnership award, from Community-Based Research Canada (CBRCanada), a national award sponsored by SSHRC. The application was led by Dr. Heather Morris, on behalf of our team. In the video below, Petra Schulz and Rebecca Saah accept the award.
Community Report
The purpose of this report is to share the results of our work with community partners and stakeholders, as well as research participants. This report provides the background for the study, a high-level summary of what we found, how we are sharing our research and what we plan to do next.
Knowledge Translation Project
Following our interview study, the same team worked in partnership with four parent advocates to produce a video series, the #SeeTheLives project and website, to share insights from our research. Our aim was to amplify the family perspective and to challenge the stigma of death related to substance use and suicide. This project featured three mothers and one father reading letters to their children under the theme, “This is what we’d say if only we still had the chance.” We are very grateful to Donna (mumsDU), Phil, Petra, and Kym (Moms Stop the Harm) for working with us to create these powerful video letters, and for their courage and vulnerability in sharing their family’s stories.
Read about #SeeTheLives Scotland here: http://rsaah.ucalgaryblogs.ca/2024/10/03/see-the-lives-scotland/
Publications
(2023) Engaging families and parent advocates in research on substance use and drug policy reform: Guiding principles from a Canadian community-academic partnership. Drug and Alcohol Review.
(2021) “I’m not your reality show:” Perspectives of bereaved mothers’ engagement with the news media to advance drug policy reform.” SSM – Qualitative Research in Health.
(2021) “It’s a Bit of a Double-Edged Sword”: Motivation and Personal Impact of Bereaved Mothers’ Advocacy for Drug Policy Reform. Qualitative Health Research.
(2021) Bereaved mothers’ engagement in drug policy reform: A multisite qualitative analysis. International Journal of Drug Policy.