Exploring the Role of Trauma-Informed Approaches in Enhancing Access and Retention in Prenatal Care for Women with Substance Use Disorders

Needed 31 Mar 2026

Authorship, Acknowledgement, Membership points

Health Professional Education

Exploring the Role of Trauma-Informed Approaches in Enhancing Access and Retention in Prenatal Care for Women with Substance Use Disorders

Skills / interests: Searching for evidence, Methodological peer review, Screening and selecting studies, Data analysis and organisation, Writing (drafting and editing), Data extraction

Methodological skills / interests: Qualitative evidence synthesis

This narrative synthesis aims to explore the influence of trauma-informed approaches on the access, engagement, and retention of pregnant women with substance use disorders (SUDs) in prenatal healthcare. Women with SUDs frequently encounter overlapping forms of trauma such as childhood abuse, interpersonal violence, homelessness, and systemic discrimination that can severely hinder their willingness and ability to seek timely prenatal care. Trauma-informed care (TIC) frameworks offer a promising pathway to reduce these barriers by emphasizing safety, trust, empowerment, and collaboration within health systems.

Ideal applicant

The ideal applicant for this project is someone with a strong interest in maternal health, trauma-informed care, and substance use, particularly within the context of health equity. A background in public health, psychology, midwifery, social work, or addiction research would be beneficial. The applicant should be comfortable engaging with qualitative and/or mixed-methods research and ideally have experience in conducting or contributing to systematic or narrative reviews. Familiarity with tools such as Covidence, EndNote, or NVivo is desirable, though a willingness to learn is equally valued. This opportunity is open to early-career researchers, postgraduate students, practitioners, and individuals with lived experience who bring research literacy and a passion for meaningful, trauma-informed inquiry.

Think you've got what it takes to get the job done for Nethmini?

to respond

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3840-1902 See previous scoping review: Supporting pregnant and parenting women who use alcohol during pregnancy: A scoping review of trauma-informed approaches Women's Health 2023-01 | Journal article DOI: 10.1177/17455057221148304IF: 2.7 Q2 Part of ISSN: 1745-5057 Part of ISSN: 1745-5065 Contributors: Melody E. Morton Ninomiya; Yasmeen Almomani; Katharine Dunbar Winsor; Nicole Burns; Kelly D Harding; Megan Ropson; Debbie Chaves; Lindsay Wolfson

Debbie Chaves - 4 months ago

I am eager to contribute to this narrative synthesis due to my focused interest in trauma-informed care and maternal health equity. I have hands-on experience with qualitative evidence synthesis, including study screening, data extraction, and thematic analysis using Covidence and NVivo. My work has centered on understanding barriers to prenatal care for women with substance use and trauma histories, emphasizing empowerment and safety in healthcare interactions. I am committed to advancing trauma-informed frameworks that improve trust and retention in prenatal care, aligning closely with the project’s goals to support marginalized pregnant women through equitable, responsive health services.

Sai Bhavani Visarapu - 2 months ago

Hi, I would love to contribute to this project. I am an specialist in Toxicology with some experience in review writing, hence I feel that I might be useful to this study.

Jayan Nair - 1 month ago

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