Characterizing pregnant drug-dependent women in treatment and their children

Does pregnancy affect outcome of methadone maintenance treatment?

“…Predictors that have shown promise are similar to predictors seen in other chemical dependency treatment programs and include pre-treatment psychosocial functioning (Farrell et al, 1994), severity of chemical dependency, and comorbidity (Avants et al, 2000;Brown et al, 1998;Hoegerman & Schnoll, 1991;McLellan et al, 1994;McLellan, Luborsky, Woody, Druley, & O'Brien, 1983). High rates of comorbidity have been found in drug-using populations (Avants, Warburton, & Margolin, 2000;Brienza et al, 2000;Khantzian & Treece, 1985;Kissin, Svikis, Morgan, & Haug, 2001) and have been associated with poorer treatment outcome (Rounsaville, Kosten, Weissman, & Kleber, 1986;Strain, 2002). Lifetime prevalence rates for mixed gender and all female samples of any psychiatric disorder have typically ranged from 40% (Brooner, King, Kidorf, Schmidt, & Bigelow, 1997;Kissin, et al, 2001;Strain, 2002) to 90.8% (Rounsaville et al, 1986), with Major Depressive Disorder or Mood Disorder being the most commonly reported Axis I diagnoses in females.…”

“…High rates of comorbidity have been found in drug-using populations (Avants, Warburton, & Margolin, 2000;Brienza et al, 2000;Khantzian & Treece, 1985;Kissin, Svikis, Morgan, & Haug, 2001) and have been associated with poorer treatment outcome (Rounsaville, Kosten, Weissman, & Kleber, 1986;Strain, 2002). Lifetime prevalence rates for mixed gender and all female samples of any psychiatric disorder have typically ranged from 40% (Brooner, King, Kidorf, Schmidt, & Bigelow, 1997;Kissin, et al, 2001;Strain, 2002) to 90.8% (Rounsaville et al, 1986), with Major Depressive Disorder or Mood Disorder being the most commonly reported Axis I diagnoses in females. Comorbidity has also been associated with an earlier age of onset of substance abuse, greater number of lifetime substance use diagnoses, greater severity of substance use, and a greater number of psychosocial problems (Brooner et al, 1997).…”

Substance abuse treatment for women: Changes in the settings where women received treatment and types of services provided, 1987–1998

“…12 Specialized treatment services and programs for women generally emphasize women's psychosocial problems and their need for comprehensive services, particularly with regard to pregnancy and parenting, mental health issues, employment and housing, and history of trauma and victimization. [13][14][15][16] Moreover, specialized women's programs usually employ "empowerment" and supportive approaches to treatment, rather than confrontational approaches. [17][18][19] Further, women may be more likely to seek treatment from a women-only treatment facility because they feel less intimidated and concerned about being stigmatized in such settings 2° and because of a desire to access prenatal care and safety from intimate partner violence.…”

Suicidal Ideation Among Drug-Dependent Treatment-Seeking Inner-City Pregnant Women

“…For example, substance dependence during pregnancy has been shown to be associated with comorbid mood disorders, homelessness, previous abuse (i.e., physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse), unemployment, (Kissin, Svikis, Morgan, & Haug, 2001;Jansson, Svikis, Lee, Paluzzi, Rutigliano, & Hackerman, 1996;Finnegan, 1991), childhood sexual trauma, (Hill, Boyd, & Kortge, 2000) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Moylan, Jones, Haug, Kissin, & Svikis, 2001). Although previous studies have examined the relationship between suicidality and substance abuse in pregnant women, none have focused exclusively comparing drug dependent pregnant women with and without suicidal ideation.…”