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Rural Pregnant Cocaine Users: An In-depth Sociodemographic Comparison

NCJ Number
169910
Journal
Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 27 Issue: 3 Dated: (Summer 1997) Pages: 501-524
Author(s)
M Behnke; F D Eyler; N S Woods; K Wobie; M Conlon
Date Published
1997
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Pregnant cocaine users and nonusers from a rural Florida population with minimal access to drug treatment were compared with respect to demographic characteristics, attitudes, and several other factors.
Abstract
The 308 participants were enrolled when they first came in for prenatal care or at delivery if they received no prenatal care, at delivery. Participants included 154 cocaine users identified by means of drug history and urinalysis, as well as 154 nonusers. The groups were matched with respect to race, parity, socioeconomic status, and level of prenatal risk. Standardized measures were used to collect information on depression, locus of control, self-esteem, concepts of development, life stress, and social support. Comparisons between the groups revealed that cocaine users were more likely than nonusers to be older, to use other drugs, to begin their drug use at an earlier age, to have more depressive symptoms, and to have an external locus of control. They were also more likely than nonusers to have lower self-esteem, to have a more simplistic understanding of child development, and to have higher positive life-event impact scores. However, the users were comparable to their matched controls in many ways. The overall findings indicated that prenatal cocaine users differ from nonusers in important ways that have been shown in previous studies to place women at risk for poorer parenting. In addition, the control group appeared to differ from the national general population for which published norms are available. Tables and 112 references