The role of mother-infant bond in neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) management

Abstract

The opioid crisis affects pregnant women and their infants. In the past two decades, the number of infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) has quadrupled causing the cost of healthcare expenditures to climb sharply. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches are recommended for the management of NAS. Despite the attention NAS has recently received, treatment recommendations are limited to the hospital setting with much less focus on discharge planning. Additionally, the literature on NAS management does not consider research promoting mother-infant attachment. Recently, more emphasis has been placed on taking a holistic approach to NAS management. However, scholarly writings and research in this area are scarce. This article provides a review of current literature on NAS management and attachment-based interventions. Recommendations for practice and future research focused on holistic, non-pharmacological approaches to NAS management are provided.