Summary: Pregnant women are more likely to complete cannabis use disorder (CUD) treatment if referred by the justice system, community partners, or health care providers. The research provides novel insights into treatment outcomes for pregnant women seeking CUD treatment at public-funding facilities.
Findings also showed that only 30% of pregnant women completed treatment, with a 4-to-12-month stay associated with treatment completion. Employment was another contributing factor to successful CUD treatment completion.
Key Facts:
- This is the first study examining CUD treatment outcomes for pregnant women seeking help at publicly funded facilities.
- Factors such as referral from the justice system, community partners, or healthcare providers, length of stay, and employment status play significant roles in successful CUD treatment completion.
- The study sheds light on the need for targeted CUD treatments for pregnant populations, given the increasing rates of CUD, cannabis accessibility, and potency.
Source: George Mason University
An estimated 4 to 7 percent of women use cannabis during pregnancy, and cannabis use disorder (CUD) among pregnant women is on the rise in the United States.
Growing evidence suggests that cannabis use during pregnancy can adversely impact the health of mothers and their children, including a higher chance of preterm birth, low birth weight, and infant death.
Despite the widespread legalization of cannabis, increasing rates of CUD, and associated adverse health effects, limited research exists on treatment for this population.
A new study by Professor Panagiota (Yiota) Kitsantas found that pregnant women are more likely to complete CUD treatment if referred by the justice system, community partners, or health care providers.
To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to examine treatment outcomes for CUD for pregnant women seeking treatment at facilities supported by public funds.
“A better understanding of the factors that influence treatment for CUD in pregnant women can provide valuable information for prenatal care providers. This may allow providers to refer pregnant women with CUD to additional, helpful resources and encourage them to seek sustained treatment.
“Developing targeted CUD treatments for pregnant populations is crucial due to increasing CUD rates, cannabis accessibility, and potency,” said Kitsantas.
According to the Centers for Diseases Control, someone is diagnosed with CUD if they are unable to stop using marijuana even though it’s causing health and social problems in their lives.
Additionally, the study found that only 30 percent of pregnant women completed treatment for CUD and a 4-to-12-month stay was associated with treatment completion. Employment is another factor that increased successful completion of CUD treatment.
Treatment outcomes among pregnant women with cannabis use disorder was published online in April 2023 and will be published in Addictive Behavior in September 2023. Gilbert Gimm, associate professor, and PhD in Health Services Research student Salman Aljoudi are authors on the paper.
The George Mason University College of Public Health funded this research, which was a secondary data analysis of the 2010–19 Treatment Episode Data Set-Discharges for pregnant women who reported cannabis use disorder, and used descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and classification tree analyses to assess treatment outcomes.
About this cannabis use disorder research news
Author: Mary Cunningham
Source: George Mason University
Contact: Mary Cunningham – George Mason University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Treatment outcomes among pregnant women with cannabis use disorder” by Gilbert Gimm et al. Addictive Behavior
Abstract
Treatment outcomes among pregnant women with cannabis use disorder
Cannabis use disorder (CUD) among pregnant women is on the rise in the United States. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have recommended against the use of cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
However, limited research exists on CUD treatment in this vulnerable population. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that influence CUD treatment completion in pregnant women.
Data from the 2010–2019 Treatment Episode Data Set-Discharges (TEDS-D) were used (n = 7,319 pregnant women who reported CUD and had no prior treatment history). Descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and classification tree analyses were conducted to assess treatment outcomes.
Only 30.3% of the sample completed CUD treatment. Length of stay between 4 and 12 months was associated with a higher likelihood of CUD treatment completion.
The odds of treatment completion were higher if the referral source was alcohol/drug use care provider (AOR = 1.60, 95% CI [1.01, 2.54]), other community referral (AOR = 1.65, 95% CI [1.38, 1.97]), and the court/criminal justice (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI [1.92, 2.72]) relative to being referred by individual/self.
A relatively high proportion of CUD treatment completion (52%) was observed among pregnant women who had > 1 month of CUD treatment and were referred to the treatment program by the criminal justice system.
For pregnant women, referrals from the justice system, community, and healthcare providers can increase the likelihood of successful CUD treatment outcomes.
Developing targeted CUD treatments for pregnant populations is crucial due to increasing CUD rates, cannabis accessibility, and potency.
