Increased psychological distress in post-partum, cocaine-using mothers.
This study investigated psychological symptoms, self-reported postpartum by poor, primarily African American women who used cocaine during pregnancy. Ninety-nine cocaine-using mothers (COC+) were compared to 44 noncocaine-using mothers (COC-) on standardized measures of psychological distress and verbal comprehension. Mothers were interviewed to determined extent of drug involvement. COC+ mothers reported using alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco at two to three times the rate of comparison mothers during pregnancy and reported earlier initiation of marijuana use. COC+ women were more likely to admit to interpersonal difficulties and to report phobic anxiety and paranoid ideational symptoms. The COC+ group was also more likely to have clinically elevated scores on subscales indicating feelings of personal inadequacy, phobic anxiety, and paranoia. The use of cocaine, in combination with either alcohol or marijuana, was the best predictor of psychoticism, hostility, and total number of distress symptoms.
Singer
L
L
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Arendt
R
R
Minnes
S
S
Farkas
K
K
Yamashita
T
T
Kliegman
R
R
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D003042:Cocaine / Q000009:adverse effects; D016578:Crack Cocaine / Q000009:adverse effects; D017831:Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012307:Risk Factors; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation
D016578:Crack Cocaine; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D003042:Cocaine