Perinatal women in substance use disorder treatment: Interest in partnering with family and friends to support recovery needs

Abstract

Background Perinatal women treated for substance use disorder (SUD) face considerable barriers to recovery that might be ameliorated through activation of community support. Objectives This descriptive study evaluated the presence of drug-free family and friends in the social networks of perinatal women treated for SUD. It also assessed the interest of these women to partner with network members to mobilize support across several recovery needs. Methods Social network interviews were conducted with 40 pre- and post-partum women treated at the Center for Addiction and Pregnancy (CAP) in Baltimore, Maryland. These interviews also prompted participants to consider which network members to invite to the program to support recovery efforts. Results Study participants reported that their personal social networks included 4.4 drug-free adults. An overwhelming majority (80%) of participants reported a willingness to invite at least one person to the CAP program. Participants also endorsed several opportunities for collaboration between the program and community support. Conclusions These findings suggest that treatment program guided activation of network support offers a testable strategy to help perinatal women reduce barriers to recovery and improve treatment outcomes.