Grant: Team Grant: GenderNet Plus

Vulnerable populations that experience social precarity tend to have a chronic SUD and require long-term services that are adapted to their complex care needs. The general aim of this transnational Canadian, French and Belgian study is to better understand how gender and life stages influence addiction, health risks, and recovery trajectories in order to guide the development of integrated services that address complex social and health care needs. The three specific objectives of the project take into account gender and life stages issues in order to: 1) identify specific vulnerabilities and capacities in people with SUD who experience social precarity over a lifelong trajectory of PS use and related risk behaviors; 2) understand long-term service and recovery trajectories related to SUD and health risks within this population; and 3) guide the development of long-term integrated services that better address the complex social and health needs of this population. In order to pursue these objectives, we propose to combine the following methods: semi-structured interviews on PS use, health-risk and recovery trajectories (n=270, 90 per country); a systematic literature review; and consensus development conferences with expert panels (PS users, clinicians, various key stakeholders) who have an interest in the services offered to PS users (n=3 groups of 12-15 participants, one per country). Examination of the distinct contexts related to PS use, health risks, and services in France, Belgium, and Canada will help to develop contextualized knowledge that can enhance life-stage-responsive and gender-responsive services locally and internationally, taking into account the needs of specific populations.