Prenatal Substance Abuse and Pregnancy Outcomes Among African American Women

Abstract

Subjects in this prospective observational study were 467 nulliparous women, ages 16-35, recruited at the prenatal clinics of a university hospital and a public hospital. Using a purposive sampling approach, and entry questionnaire and a series of psychosocial instruments were administered throughout the pregnancy course to assess stress, anxiety, body image, self-esteem, pregnancy symptoms, locus of control, and partner's interaction. Several pregnancy outcome measures were determined after delivery. Brazelton neonatal behavioral assessments were performed two days after birth of infants delivered to the maternal subjects. Self-reported substance abuse data were obtained from the entry questionnaire and the medical intake records, with usage characterized in terms of occurrence prior to and/or during pregnancy. Illicit drug users during pregnancy had lower self-esteem, greater stress, more pregnancy symptoms, a more negative pre-pregnancy body image and less favorable interactions with their partners. T test results show that infants of smokers had smaller head circumferences, shorter body length, and less optimal Brazelton orientation performance. Infants of illicit drug users had smaller head circumferences and shorter body lengths.