Online Program

329195
Pregnant women's substance abuse treatment completion rates: Effects of referral sources and treatment settings


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 4:50 p.m. - 5:10 p.m.

Young Ik Cho, PhD, Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Timothy Johnson, PhD, Survey Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Michael Fendrich, PhD, School of Social Work, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT
Lillian Pickup, RN, Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Illinois Department of Human Services, Chicago, IL
Background: The harmful effects of prenatal drug exposure are well documented, and alcohol and drug use among women are most prevalent in their childbearing years. The overall treatment patterns of pregnant women and treatment effectiveness, however, are not well investigated. This study compares treatment completion rates between pregnant and non-pregnant women. Methods: Using 86,648 non-duplicated administrative records of childbearing age women (18-44) admitted to and discharged from publically funded treatment programs in a Midwestern state, we explore the effects of treatment mode and referral sources on treatment completion of pregnant and non-pregnant women. Multilevel random intercept models are used to adjust for patient nesting within clinics. Results: The overall treatment completion rate was 38.5%. The completion rate was lower among pregnant women (33.3%) compared to non-pregnant women (38.8%). Among the self-referred, there was a significantly lower rate among pregnant women (29.5%) compared to non-pregnant women (35.9%). Among those treated in outpatient settings, pregnant women were also less likely to complete treatment (31.3% vs. 37.0%).  In residential rehabilitation settings, pregnant women’s completion rate was substantially lower (36.8%) than among non-pregnant women (45.9%). Conclusion: Pregnant women’s treatment completion rates were lower than that of non-pregnant women. In order to optimize opportunities to intervene during pregnancy, more investigation is needed to identify treatment barriers that are specific to referral systems and modalities in terms of timeliness and appropriateness to meeting the special needs of pregnant women.

Learning Areas:

Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Compare treatment completion rates between pregnant and non-pregnant women. Evaluate effects of referral sources and treatment settings on treatment completion among women of childbearing age.

Keyword(s): Treatment Outcomes, Women's Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-principal investigator of multiple funded grants focusing on the substance abuse, abuse and treatment issues among various populations for more than 15 years.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.