Women Attending High-Risk Substance Abuse Clinics Versus General Obstetrics Clinics

Abstract

Substance-abusing women experience burdens making attending high-risk prenatal care critical for a healthy pregnancy. Many face barriers that compromise their health by reducing access to care, delaying their first prenatal appointment. One hundred forty-one women attending a high-risk prenatal clinic were compared to a matched group from the hospital’s general obstetrics clinic. Analyses revealed that substance-abusing women with a mental illness attended prenatal care earlier than those without a mental illness. This is important because psychiatric illnesses might precipitate poor reproductive behaviors. Women with HIV also entered prenatal care earlier, which improves reproductive health. Clinicians’ roles are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• dependence
• high-risk pregnancy
• mental illness
• prenatal care
• substance abuse

FUNDING

Funding for this project was provided by a grant for Marilyn W. Lewis from The Ohio State University Center for Clinical & Translational Science (CCTS) Pilot and Collaborative Translational and Clinical Studies Program (UL1RR025755), National Center for Research Resources, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, and supported by the National Institutes of Health Roadmap for Medical Research.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this project was provided by a grant for Marilyn W. Lewis from The Ohio State University Center for Clinical & Translational Science (CCTS) Pilot and Collaborative Translational and Clinical Studies Program (UL1RR025755), National Center for Research Resources, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, and supported by the National Institutes of Health Roadmap for Medical Research.