CHDR FUNDED PILOT STUDIES

Relationship among individual characteristics, level of adherence to treatment program and birth outcomes in low-income pregnant women in substance abuse treatment

Benita Walton-Moss, DNSc, RNCS, FNP (JHUSON)
Linda McIntosh, PhD, RN(NCA&TSON)

Negative birth outcomes among drug-exposed infants notably include low birth weight and prematurity, the primary contributors to infant death. Despite the well-established causes of these poor outcomes among low-income mothers with substance use, there is a paucity of research to understand their health behaviors.

This descriptive, exploratory design study proposes to better understand the physical and mental health status of low-income pregnant women in urban substance abuse treatment environments by examining the relationships among individual, environmental, and systemic factors on adherence to drug treatment programs and the ultimate birth outcomes among low-income pregnant women. The long-term objective of this research is to develop treatment approaches to improve birth outcomes and increase the likelihood that women successfully complete substance abuse treatment.

To achieve this objective, the following specific aims are proposed: 1). To examine the relationship between physical and mental health status (e.g. physical symptoms, functional status, and psychiatric distress) and length of gestation in women who are pregnant at the time of admission to substance abuse treatment, 2). To determine the relationship between physical and mental health status and infant birth weight in women who are pregnant at the time of admission to substance abuse treatment, and 3). To investigate the relationship between the physical and mental health status and length of treatment in women who are pregnant at the time of admission to substance abuse treatment.