Current or past experiences of violence and trauma are one of the major reasons a woman may continue to drink throughout her pregnancy. Being a “trauma informed” service provider, community and citizen means learning to see every aspect of your support from the perspective of a woman who has experienced or is experiencing violence or trauma.
A strong relationship: Violence, trauma and FASD
In a study of 80 mothers who had given birth to a child with FASD:
- 95% had been seriously sexually, physically or emotionally abused as a child or adult
- 80% had a major mental illness, with the most prevalent (77%) being Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- 72% felt unable to reduce their alcohol use because they were in abusive relationships
Working from a trauma-informed perspective means changing how we think and talk about alcohol use in pregnancy.