The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #72129

Jon Morgenstern, PhD¹, Kimberly A. Blanchard, PhD¹, Barbara S. McCrady, PhD², and Katharine H. McVeigh, PhD³. (1) The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, 633 Third Ave., 19th Fl, New York, NY 10017, 212-841-5247, jmorgens@casacolumbia.org, (2) Center of Alcohol Studies, Rutgers University, 607 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, (3) Substance Abuse Research Demonstration Project, Rutgers University Center of Alcohol Studies, 24 Commerce Street, Suite 510, Newark, NJ 07102

Substance abuse among low income, parenting women has long been identified as a major public health problem. As states implement welfare reform, efforts to effectively address this problem take on greater urgency, but little data are available to guide policy in this area. This presentation will report on 9 month outcome results comparing the standard of care approach currently implemented in the state of New Jersey for substance abusing TANF women to a more intensive intervention. In addition, employment barriers and welfare outcomes for substance abusing versus nonsubstance abusing TANF women will be reported. Substance abusing (n=160) and nonsubstance abusing (n=60) TANF women entering welfare to work programs were recruited at local welfare offices. Substance abusers were randomly assigned to usual care or an intensive intervention consisting of case management and contingency management. Results indicate that substance abusers experienced substantial additional need for services in the areas of mental health, family, medical, and wraparound services and were significantly more impaired than nonsubstance abusers in these domains. In addition, rates of engagement and retention in outpatient substance abuse treatment were low in the usual care condition, but significantly better for the intensive intervention. Nine month substance abuse, employment, and other outcomes will be presented and implications for how states can effectively address the needs of this population will be addressed.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will learn more about the barriers to employment that affect women on welfare with substance abuse problems.

Keywords: Substance Abuse, Welfare Reform

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.