Online Program

285703
Time course of stress and illicit drug use among low income women from pre-pregnancy to postpartum


Monday, November 4, 2013

Zhao Wu, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
James Grady, DrPH, Center of Biostistics - CICATS, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington
Mark Litt, PhD, Oral Health and Diag Sciences, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
Howard Tennen, PhD, Department of Community Medicine and Health Care, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
Cheryl Oncken, MD, Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
Rong Wu, MS, Biostatistics Center, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
Aim: To document the time course of stress and illicit drug use among women from 4 months pre-pregnancy to 6 months post-partum. Methods: Participants were 126 women attending community-based family planning clinics who became pregnant during the course of a longitudinal study of women's drug use. Self-reported drug use and stress were examined at 4 months pre-pregnancy, during each trimester, and 6 months postpartum. These were compared to 221 matched non-pregnant women. Stress was measured with Turner's ongoing stress scale and Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Results: Levels of ongoing stress and PSS scores were higher for those who used any illicit drugs at baseline. Drug use (45%) and stress among the matched non-pregnant women remained unchanged over time. Among pregnant women, rates of drug use were: Baseline 43%; 1-4 months pre-pregnancy 22%; 1-3 trimesters 42%, 18% and 22%; 1-2 months postpartum 31%; and 5-6 months postpartum 48%. Drug-using pregnant women reported that ongoing stress was lowest during the second trimester and increased postpartum. Non-drug using pregnant women also reported that ongoing stress was lowest during the second trimester but did not report a substantial increase post-partum. Regarding perceived stress, drug using pregnant women reported their highest PSS scores 3-4 months postpartum, while non-drug using women reported their highest PSS scores at 1-2 months postpartum. Conclusion: Use of illicit drugs decreased during pregnancy. However, drug use rates rose again within 6 months postpartum. Self-reported stress differed by drug use status, particularly in the postpartum period.

Learning Areas:

Epidemiology
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
describe the time course of stress and illicit drug use among woemn from 4 months prior to pregnancy to 6 months post-partum

Keyword(s): Stress, Maternal Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the PI of the study presented here (Grant No. NIH R01 DA020058) and an associate professors in Psychiarty
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.