A comparison of pregnant women presenting for alcohol and other drug treatment by CPS status

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the demographic, substance use, and treatment variables of alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment seeking pregnant women. This study also compared women on these variables based on Child Protective Service (CPS) status. Method: Secondary data of all pregnant women with at least one child entering all publicly funded AOD treatment programs ( N=678), in a southwest county, over a 3-year period were analyzed to examine the differences between pregnant women also involved with CPS and those not involved with CPS. Results: Pregnant women reporting CPS involvement were similar to non-CPS women on demographic variables but differed on drug use and treatment variables. CPS women were more likely to report marijuana use as their primary problem drug, be mandated to treatment, attend day treatment and be released from treatment unsatisfactorily compared to the non-CPS pregnant women. Those without CPS involvement were more likely to report cocaine or crack as their primary drug, attend outpatient treatment and be found to have a satisfactory release from treatment compared to those with CPS involvement. Results from the multiple logistic regression analysis found that the significant predictors of CPS involvement were mandated status and unsatisfactory treatment release. Conclusions: Differences in treatment outcomes may be based on AOD agencies’ difficulty in working with mandated clients and/or with the multiple demands placed by CPS on clients as part of their treatment plans. Further research is needed to determine reasons for CPS clients’ high failure rates in AOD treatment. Objectif: Le but de cette étude fut de décrire les facteurs démographiques, le recours aux substances toxiques et le traitement en tant que variables dans le traitement de l’alcoolisme et de la toxicomanie chez des femmes enceintes. Méthode: Les chercheurs ont analysé des données secondaires dans 678 dossiers d’un programme de traitement pour alcoolisme et toxicomanie financé par l’état, situé dans un comté du sud-ouest des É-U. Ces dossiers portaient sur des femmes enceintes ayant au moins un enfant. On a cherché à connaı̂tre sur une période de trois ans, les différences parmi les femmes connues des services de protection de l’enfance et celles qui ne l’étaient pas. Résultats: En ce qui a trait aux variables démographiques, les femmes enceintes connues des services de protection de l’enfance s’avèrent semblables à celles non connues de c