Sif Ingibergsdottir Mogensen will present PhD research on how women who use drugs engage with harm reduction services. The thesis focuses in particular on the ambivalence women experience in their use of these services, but also addresses a range of other dimensions of their lives, including their drug use, housing situation, and the (gendered) violence many are exposed to.

The PhD presentation is based on analyses of 170 hours of participant observation in two harm reduction services, as well as 29 interviews with women who use drugs.

In the presentation, Sif Ingibergsdottir Mogensen will place particular emphasis on the analyses from the three scientific articles that constitute the thesis. The presentation will therefore focus especially on:

• How care is practiced within harm reduction services, what conditions shape these practices, and how women who use drugs are affected by this care.
• How women who use drugs' embodied and emotional experiences of housing and houselessness are shaped by societal ideals, values, and objects associated with a good and happy life, and how these factors influence whether and how women use their housing and engage with harm reduction services.
• How women who use drugs resist gendered violence and what role harm reduction services play in shaping or supporting these resistance practices.

The PhD defence will be conducted in English, and the title of the thesis is: AMBIVALENT NAVIGATIONS: Affective and Relational Dimensions of Womens Lives Across Harm Reduction, Drug Use, Housing Insecurity, and Gendered Violence.

The PhD defence is open to all. It is possible to attend the defence via this Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/318589338647875?p=mE5wG3tKBXzUBcYzmO

Assessment Committee:

• Josefin Månsson, Associate Professor, Stockholm University, Sweden
• Marie Jauffret-Roustide, Senior Researcher, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), France
• Maj Nygaard-Christensen, Associate Professor, Aarhus University, Denmark (Chair)

Main supervisor

• Esben Houborg, Associate Professor, Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University

The defence is led by professor Kristine Rømer Thomsen, Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University

Reception:

Following the defence, the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research will host a reception with refreshments. All attendees are welcome.

20,000 young people have substance abuse problems
Currently, around 20,000 young people in Denmark have substance abuse problems. Thats why its so important that we gain knowledge about which groups of young people are at high risk of developing a substance abuse problem if we want our preventive measures to be effective, says Assistant Professor Kristine Rømer Thomsen, who has conducted research into the issue and will present her research at the presentation day.

There are many factors which help determine whether or not a young person will develop a substance abuse problem:

Its a well-known fact that various forms of impulsiveness are associated with a greater risk of developing alcohol and drug abuse problems. Some young people seek out powerful experiences or find it hard to delay gratification. These are some of the factors associated with drug and alcohol abuse, says Kristine Rømer Thomsen.

Kristine Rømer Thomsen will present data from a large research project, which focuses on what contributes to creating a problematic use of alcohol or drugs as well as so-called behavioural addictions, e.g. the problematic use of pornography or gaming.

Other themes
Researchers from the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research will also be presenting key results from their research projects under the themes: Young People and Drugs, Treatment and Addiction and the Brain.

As a new initiative, the research presentation day will also include a poster session, which gives room for more informal talks about the various research projects.

Participation is free of charge. Registration takes place on a first-come-first-served basis and no later than 6 June.

Read more about the Research Presentation Day