Coercion and drug treatment for postpartum women

This research examined the extent to which various indicators of coercion were related to treatment retention in a gender-specific treatment program and a traditional outpatient program for pregnant and postpartum women who were mandated to enter treatment. Women who were given custody of their infant stayed in treatment longer than women who did not have custody. There was an interaction effect with women who had custody and were in the intensive day treatment program completing treatment at a much higher rate than those in the traditional program. Implications for social work professionals and policy makers are discussed. searchers. However, one aspect of motivation, the use of coercive methods to get individuals into treatment, has been controversial, raising many legal, ethical, clinical, and service delivery issues. However, some have argued that external pressure is a part of the treatment reality of most substance abusers (1,2) and is "a factor present to a greater or lesser extent in much treatment seeking" (3, p. 25). Some have even contended that there is a role for coercion in drug treatment (4) and that external pressures from family and the courts are necessary factors in successful treatment (5)-particularly regarding women who are parenting and who are in the child welfare system (6). The effect external pressures have on treatment retention and outcomes, especially for women, has not been addressed in the research literature and remains unanswered (7). It is critical that researchers begin to identify factors related to treatment retention of pregnant and parenting women for length of stay in treatment is an important indicator of treatment effectiveness (8). This study is an initial attempt at examining the extent to which various indicators of coercion are related to treatment retention for women and whether those relationships vary by treatment modality. For this study, coercion was defined as "external conditions that drive people to seek treatment [that] do not necessarily reflect inner reasons for changing oneself". (Author' s abstract)