Abstract
Rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) among pregnant women are increasing precipitously. Much attention is being devoted to the biomedical mechanisms underlying harmful maternal and child outcomes of opioid-exposed pregnancies. Yet, despite the documented vulnerability of these women and the treatment barriers they face, little research and clinical attention are being directed toward the life-context factors that affect their health. We describe how life context affects pregnant women with OUD and explain that a socioecological, woman-centered research and practice approach that includes systematic assessment of life context is necessary to improve the health and well-being of this population.
Disclosure Statement
The authors have no financial interest or benefit to disclose.