Alcohol and Drug Use in Pregnant and Post-Partum Women

Abstract

Abstract The Tennessee Residential Treatment Program for Pregnant and Postpartum Women addressed the problem of substance use and abuse among young adults ages 16 and over. The program was intended to expand the availability of comprehensive, residential substance abuse treatment, prevention, and recovery support services for pregnant and postpartum women and their minor children, including services for non-residential family members of both the women and children. The populations of focus were low-income (according to federal poverty guidelines) women, ages 16 and over, who were pregnant, postpartum (the period after childbirth up to 12 months), and their minor children, age 17 and under, who had limited access to quality health services. Through the expansion and enhancement of service capacity, addiction peer recovery support services were provided as part of a collaborative effort between the University of Tennessee College of Social Work and the Helen Ross McNabb Center, Incorporated, a Regional Mental Health System. Comprehensive services were provided to clients who were ineligible for, or unable to afford or to obtain, adequate services through public or commercial means. Over a three-year period, services were provided to 363 participants with 169 of those participants returning for a 6-month interview using the CSAT GPRA Client Outcome Measures for Discretionary Programs. Upon intake, 70% of participants reported using drugs and/or alcohol during the previous month. Frequency of various drug and alcohol use (measured in number of days used) during the 30-day period prior to intake implied a need for intervention services, and over the course of services provided, frequencies of drug and alcohol use declined.