Motherhood, substance use and peer support: Benefits of an integrated group program for pregnant and postpartum women.

Objective: Little is known though about the experiences that pregnant and postpartum women have in integrated care programs for substance use disorder and the mechanisms that may contribute to the treatment success.

Methods: We conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with women and staff who participated in an integrated care initiative for pregnant and postpartum women with SUD focusing on participants' experiences with the support group. The data was analyzed following a thematic analysis approach.

Results: Three themes emerged that captured the benefits women felt they received from the peer support group: 1) sustained engagement in, and accountability for, participation in SUD treatment, 2) well-coordinated access to medical and social support resources, and 3) establishing community around motherhood to learn selfacceptance and experience validation.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates the important role a peer support group within an integrated treatment program can play in supporting mothers in their recovery.