Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women in a Women’s Residential Treatment Center in El Paso, Texas
Abstract
Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) and opioid use disorders (OUDs) are a major public health concern in the United States. SUD/OUDs are often linked to co-occurring physical disorders and serious mental illness (SMI). Stress and trauma are often contributing factors to the development of SUD/OUD and/or co-occurring SMI, which impact pregnant and postpartum women (PPW), who concurrently, may face specific risk factors and barriers to care for these conditions. These risk factors and barriers to care may be exacerbated by Hispanic/Latino identities. Studying social determinants of health based on a social ecological model approach can help increase knowledge about this specific population. This secondary data analysis study utilized data collected for a grant funded intervention (PI: T Mangadu) in 2018. The purpose of this secondary data analysis included 142 women enrolled in the parent study who were part of a women’s residential treatment program in the El Paso, TX area between 2018 and 2022. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe characteristics of a population of PPW with SUD/OUD and/or co-occurring disorder/ SMI enrolled in a women’s residential treatment facility in the El Paso, TX area and to assess relationships between trauma and social determinants of health (socioeconomic factors and social and community factors) among the study population. Hypothesis: PPW with SUD/OUD and/or co-occurring disorder/ SMI who have experienced trauma are more likely to have children and a higher number of children, more likely to experience housing insecurity, and less likely to have enough money to meet their needs than their counterparts who have not experienced trauma. Results: PPW with SUD/OUD and/or co-occurring disorder/ SMI who have experienced trauma are just as likely to have children (p=.421) and to have no significant difference in the number of children as those who have not experienced trauma (p=.446). PPW with SUD/OUD and/or co-occurring disorder/ SMI who have experienced trauma are just as likely to have been unhoused in the past 30 days than those who have not experienced trauma (p=.128). PPW with SUD/OUD and/or co-occurring disorder/ SMI who have experienced trauma are just as likely to have enough money to meet their needs (p=.669) and to have no significant difference in total income as those who have not experienced trauma (p=.528). Conclusions: Among participants in this study, there were no observed significant relationships between income, housing insecurity, or number of children and experiences of trauma. From the descriptive statistics results we see trends in SUD among the population that can be used to understand SUD intervention needs. Seventy percent of participants experienced trauma, indicating a need for evidence-based practices and trauma-informed care. Recommendations: Recommendations include addressing social determinants of health such as providing housing security and income assistance for PPW with SUD and/or cooccurring disorder/ SMI and utilizing trauma-informed care for this population.
Subject Area
Public health|Clinical psychology|Mental health
Recommended Citation
Warling, Adren, "Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women in a Women’s Residential Treatment Center in El Paso, Texas" (2023). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI30521541.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI30521541