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Demographic and substance abuse trends among pregnant and non-pregnant women: eleven years of treatment admission data
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Demographic and substance abuse trends among pregnant and non-pregnant women: eleven years of treatment admission data

Jennifer E McCabe and Stephan Arndt
Maternal and child health journal, Vol.16(8), pp.1696-1702
11/2012
DOI: 10.1007/s10995-011-0872-z
PMID: 21842247

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify demographic and substance abuse trends among pregnant women entering treatment over eleven years. This study compiled the publicly available Treatment Episode Datasets from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration from 1998 to 2008. Subjects included 1,724,479 women entering publicly funded substance abuse treatment for the first time, 81,818 of whom were pregnant. Compared to non-pregnant women, pregnant women were more likely to be younger, minority, never married, less educated, homeless, and on public-assistance or have no income. Referrals from health care providers (HCPs) among pregnant women entering treatment have stayed consistently low while referrals from the criminal justice system accounted for the largest portion of pregnant women entering treatment. Over the past eleven years, there has been a general decline in alcohol abuse and an increase in drug abuse among women entering treatment; this trend was more pronounced in pregnant women. Unlike their non-pregnant counterparts, pregnant women were more likely to report marijuana, not alcohol, as their primary problem substance as well as other drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine. Over the past eleven years, trends in the demographics and patterns of substance abuse among women have changed; some of these trends were unique to pregnant women. A large proportion of pregnant women entering treatment are referred by the criminal justice system. Knowledge surrounding the demographics and abuse patterns of pregnant women entering treatment can inform HCPs and community programs in their screening and outreach efforts.
Adolescent Adult Age Distribution Alcoholism - epidemiology Alcoholism - therapy Demography Female Humans Logistic Models Patient Admission - statistics & numerical data Patient Admission - trends Pregnancy Public Assistance Referral and Consultation - statistics & numerical data Referral and Consultation - trends Socioeconomic Factors Street Drugs Substance Abuse Treatment Centers - statistics & numerical data Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology Substance-Related Disorders - therapy United States - epidemiology United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Young Adult

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