Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Comprehensive Treatment for Pregnant and Parenting Women with Substance Use Disorders and Their Children: The UNC Horizons Story

  • From the Field
  • Published:
Maternal and Child Health Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To describe how the UNC Horizons program, a comprehensive women-centered program for pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders, and its patient population have changed over time and summarize basic neonatal outcomes for infants born to women in treatment at Horizons.

Methods

Yearly Annual Reports from fiscal years of 1994 to 2017 were abstracted. Patient characteristics and infant outcomes compared to normative North Carolina data were examined.

Results

Highlights of findings include: The percentage of women for whom opioids were the primary substance of use increased from 0% in 1995–1996 to 62% in 2016–17, while cocaine decreased from 66 to 12%. Intravenous substance use history increased from 7% in 1994–1995 to 41% in 2016–2017. The number of women reporting a history of incarceration rose from 10–20% in the early years to 40%-50% beginning in 2007–2008. The proportion of women reporting a desire to hurt themselves rose from 20% in 2004–2005 to 40% in 2016–2017. Self-reported suicide attempt history remained consistent at 32% across years. While reporting of childhood physical abuse remained at 38% across years, reporting of sexual abuse and domestic violence trended upward. Horizons did not differ from North Carolina in the likelihood of patients giving birth prematurely [χ2(13) = 20.6,p = .082], or the likelihood of a patient giving birth to a low birthweight infant [χ2(13) = 14.7,p = .333].

Conclusions for Practice

Breaking the cycle of addiction for women and children must focus on helping women with substance use problems develop a sense of hope that their lives can improve, and a sense of feeling safe and nurtured.

Significance

Systematic examinations of programs that provide treatment services to pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders have typically been focused on a limited set of outcomes and have been cross-sectional in nature. The current paper presents a detailed examination of the patient populations over a 23-year period, with particular attention to the changes over time in the women served. The birth weight and prematurity of infants born to the women in this program were likewise examined over time, and in comparison to state-level data.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

References

  • Greenfield, S. F., Kuper, L. E., Cummings, A. M., Robbins, M. S., & Gallop, R. J. (2013). Group process in the single-gender Women’s Recovery Group compared with mixed-gender Group Drug Counseling. Journal of Groups in Addiction & Recovery, 8(4), 270–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hser, Y. I., Evans, E., Huang, D., & Messina, N. (2011). Long-term outcomes among drug-dependent mothers treated in women-only versus mixed-gender programs. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 41(2), 115–123.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kemp, S. P., Marcenko, M. O., Hoagwood, K., & Vesneski, W. (2009). Engaging parents in child welfare services: Bridging family needs and child welfare mandates. Child Welfare, 88, 101–126.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marcenko, M. O., Lyons, S. J., & Courtney, M. (2011). Mothers’ experiences, resources and needs: The context for reunification. Children and Youth Services Review, 33(3), 431–438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prendergast, M. L., Messina, N. P., Hall, E. A., & Warda, U. S. (2011). The relative effectiveness of women-only and mixed-gender treatment for substance-abusing women. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 40(4), 336–348.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

National Institute on Drug Abuse, R01DA047867, Hendree Jones.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 410 North Greensboro Street, Suite 220, Carrboro, NC, 27510, USA

    Hendrée E. Jones, Kim Andringa, Senga Carroll, Elisabeth Johnson, Evette Horton, Deborah Stanford, Connie Renz & John Thorp

  2. Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA

    Hendrée E. Jones

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Kevin O’Grady

Authors
  1. Hendrée E. Jones
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kim Andringa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Senga Carroll
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Elisabeth Johnson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Evette Horton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Kevin O’Grady
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Deborah Stanford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Connie Renz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. John Thorp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

HJ, KA and KO’G conceived of the idea and developed the first draft of the manuscript, KO’G completed the analyses, SC, EJ, EH, DS, CR and JT reviewed and provided substantive input and feedback on the subsequent drafts and approved the final submission.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hendrée E. Jones.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors have not disclosed any competing interests.

Ethical Approval

UNC IRB approved.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jones, H.E., Andringa, K., Carroll, S. et al. Comprehensive Treatment for Pregnant and Parenting Women with Substance Use Disorders and Their Children: The UNC Horizons Story. Matern Child Health J 28, 409–425 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-023-03870-7

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-023-03870-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation