Motivational Enhancement Therapy to Improve Treatment Utilization and Outcome in Pregnant Substance Users
Theresa Winhusen, Ph.D. Lead Investigator CinARC University of Cincinnati 3210 Jefferson Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45220 winhusen@mdru.uc.edu

About 5% of women use illicit substances during pregnancy, and approximately 22% of these also report using tobacco or alcohol. A number of treatment programs have started to offer treatment specifically designed for pregnant substance abusers. While these programs have shown some success, it is still difficult to keep these women in treatment. Brief motivational sessions have been found to improve treatment engagement and outcomes in both alcohol and drug using women. This study compares one such treatment intervention, Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), with standard treatment. The three individual MET sessions focus on developing rapport, exploration of perceived pros and cons of using substances, reviewing the participant feedback on the consequences of substance use and the status of her pregnancy, and developing a change plan or strengthening the commitment to change. Patients assigned to standard treatment receive the treatment normally given in that clinic; this will include at least three individual sessions that are also designed to help them overcome alcohol and drug use.

Primary Findings: Participants attended 62% of scheduled treatment on average, and reported decreased substance use during the first month of treatment, with no differences between MET and treatment-as-usual (TAU) participants. There was some evidence that the efficacy of MET varied between sites, and that MET might be more beneficial than TAU in decreasing substance use in minority participants. These results suggest that MET is not more effective than TAU for pregnant substance users in general, but that there might be particular subgroups or treatment programs for which MET might be more or less effective than TAU.

Primary Outcomes Paper: Winhusen T, et al. Motivational enhancement therapy to improve treatment utilization and outcome in pregnant substance users. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 2008;35(2):161-173. [more. . .]

  RELATED STUDIES

• CTN-0013-A-1: Trauma and Intravenous Drug Use among Pregnant Alcohol/Other Drug Abusing Women: Factors in Predicting Child Abuse Potential

	Find publications in the Library about Protocol CTN-0013
	Researchers: Data from this protocol is available from CTN Public Datashare