Substance abuse in pregnant women. Experiences from a special child welfare clinic in Norway.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Substance abuse during pregnancy may harm the foetus and can cause neonatal abstinence syndrome. Exposure to alcohol and other substances can influence the child for the rest of its life. A special child welfare clinic was set up in 1994 in Kristiansand, Norway, targeting pregnant women with substance abuse problems in the county of Vest-Agder. Pregnancy is not an indication for opioid replacement therapy in Norway, and one of the clinic's aims was to support the drug dependent women through their pregnancy without any replacements. The object of this paper is to describe concurrent health and social problems, as well as the predictors for stopping drug abuse, in the clinic's user group.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study. Data was gathered from the medical record

SUBMITTER: Hjerkinn B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2242799 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature