TREATMENT COMPLIANCE AMONG PRENATAL CARE PATIENTS WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROBLEMS

Abstract

There is an insufficient number of substance abuse treatmentprograms available to pregnant women; however, even when women do enroll intreatment, they often choose not to comply with particular components of theirtreatment. To better understand what factors are associated with a woman'slikelihood of compliance with treatment, this study assesses 244 pregnant,substance-using women enrolled in a specialized substance abuse treatmentprogram. Women who complied with treatment referrals are compared with thosewho did not comply with referrals on various factors including their sociodemographiccharacteristics, types of substance use before and during pregnancy, experiencesof violence before and during pregnancy, and prior substance use treatment.Bivariate analysis found that outpatient treatment compliance was more likelyamong women who smoked cigarettes before pregnancy, women who had receivedprevious substance abuse treatment, and women whose partner had received previoussubstance abuse treatment. Outpatient treatment compliance did not vary bysociodemographic characteristics, any other type of substance use, or thewomen's experiences of violence. Inpatient treatment compliance was morelikely among women who received prior substance abuse treatment; however,no other characteristic was found to be associated with inpatient treatmentcompliance. Logistic regression analyses, which controlled for various factors,suggested that past experiences with substance abuse treatment by the womanor her partner were significantly associated with treatment referral compliance.These findings suggest that the previous treatment experiences of women andtheir partners are important factors in shaping a successful substance abusetreatment program for pregnant women.