<p>The purpose of this study was to increase the knowledge and understanding of what impact support-groups, such as represented by Qvinnoqulan, can have on women with drug-addiction. The questions at issue for the essay was: How does a selection of women who participate in Qvinnoqulan describe their thoughts, experiences and reflections of the group? What sense has Qvinnoqulan made for the women on a personal level and for contributing to live a life without drugs? To answer the questions a qualitative method was used and five interviews were made with women who participated in the activities of Qvinnoqulan. To analyze the data a social constructionist perspective and an empowerment perspective was used. The result of the study showed that the women were in the process of rebuilding a new life without drugs and reconstructing a new identity. Qvinnoqulan played an important role in that process and was functioning as a safe place in between the two different types of lifestyles; life with drugabuse and life without drugs. Elements such as female friendship, honesty, understanding and sharing familiar experiences with other women were important to maintain a life free from drugs.</p>

The purpose of this study was to increase the knowledge and understanding of what impact support-groups, such as represented by Qvinnoqulan, can have on women with drug-addiction. The questions at issue for the essay was: How does a selection of women who participate in Qvinnoqulan describe their thoughts, experiences and reflections of the group? What sense has Qvinnoqulan made for the women on a personal level and for contributing to live a life without drugs? To answer the questions a qualitative method was used and five interviews were made with women who participated in the activities of Qvinnoqulan. To analyze the data a social constructionist perspective and an empowerment perspective was used. The result of the study showed that the women were in the process of rebuilding a new life without drugs and reconstructing a new identity. Qvinnoqulan played an important role in that process and was functioning as a safe place in between the two different types of lifestyles; life with drugabuse and life without drugs. Elements such as female friendship, honesty, understanding and sharing familiar experiences with other women were important to maintain a life free from drugs.

Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie var att undersöka upplevelser av gruppbaserat föräldrastöd hos mammor med Adhd som deltagit i en universell föräldragrupp på barnhälsovårdscentral (BVC) samt i en anpassad självhjälpsgrupp (Mammagruppen). Mammagruppen bestod av fem mammor med diagnosen Adhd, en hade även Asperger syndrom. Med ett bortfall deltog fyra av dem i studien. Tre av informanterna deltog även i föräldragrupp på BVC. Deras barn var 0-2 år gamla utan uttalade problem. Datainsamling skedde genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och en induktiv tematisk analys resulterade i två huvudteman; Samhörighet och Stöd. Resultatet visar att informanternas upplevelser av Mammagruppen blev övervägande positiva och upplevelser av föräldragruppen på BVC blev övervägande negativa. Några grundläggande faktorer som bidrog till detta var huruvida de har upplevt samhörighet i grupperna samt om de har fått utrymme till att samtala om sina egna behov och känslor. Detta bidrar med unik kunskap och belyser det upplevda behovet av ett anpassat stöd. Det behövs vidare forskning innan vi kan säga att det finns skillnader. / The aim of this qualitative study was to examine experiences of group based parental support among mothers with Adhd - who had participated in an universal parent group at the swedish child healthcare centre (CHC), and in a tailored selfhelpgroup (the Momgroup). The participants in the Momgroup was five mothers with Adhd, one also had Asperger syndrome. With a loss of one, four of them participated in this study. Three of the informants had also participated, in a parent group at CHC. Their children were 0-2 years old, without any explicit problems. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and an inductive thematic analysis resulted in two main themes: Togetherness and Support. The result shows that the informants’ experiences of the Momgroup were mainly positive and the experiences of the parent goup at CHC were mainly negative. A few basic factors that contributed to this, were whether they have experienced togetherness in the groups, and if they were given the opportunity to talk about their own needs and feelings. This contributes with unique knowledge and illustrates the perceived need for tailored support. Further research is needed before we can say that there are any differences.