“Recovery is about change, so you have to change everything”: Exploring the evolution of recovery capital among women in substance use disorder treatment

Abstract

Recovery capital is a framework in addiction research aiming to understand substance use disorder recovery holistically by considering individuals' access to resources across the four domains of human, physical, social, and community capital. Each domain is opposed by negative capital. The underrepresentation of women's experiences in substance use research and the limited understanding of substance use treatment's effect on recovery capital limits our understanding of how treatment programs can support women in developing and maintaining recovery capital. This secondary qualitative analysis of data collected from the RENEW study explores the experiences of n = 19 women enrolled in substance use disorder treatment in Connecticut at baseline. Interviews occurred at two time points three months apart between February 2020 and April 2021 and discussed participants' experiences with treatment and the resources they have access to early in recovery. Thematic analysis identified four main themes related to recovery capital development. First, the direct effects of treatment, defined as clinical pathways to recovery capital, promoted resource growth primarily in the domains of human and physical capital. Second, non-clinical pathways, including indirect effects of treatment, facilitated maintenance of treatment-related improvements in human, social, and community capital. Third, interactions between domains promoted recovery capital resource growth across domains. Finally, goals and expectations for treatment motivated resource development across study time points. This study's findings have important implications for operationalization of the recovery capital framework and highlight the importance of more robust integration of non-clinical interventions to improve the experiences of women in treatment for substance use disorders.