title: Parental status of women injection drug users and entry to methadone maintenance.
abstract: This article examines patterns of methadone maintenance treatment entry among 9018 adult women injection drug users (IDUs), with special attention to parental-status differences. The data originate from a statewide drug-treatment database covering all women IDUs who entered drug treatment in the State of Massachusetts over a four-year period. Through the use of logistic regression analysis, the study found that among these women IDUs, those who resided with their children were significantly more likely to enter methadone maintenance than women who were mothers but did not reside with their children. Mothers residing with their children were 73% more likely to enter methadone maintenance than mothers who do not reside with their children. The authors discuss specific programmatic and policy implications including the need to determine whether methadone maintenance should be promoted as an alternative drug treatment option in order to preserve family unification or promote family reunification.
authors.affiliation: Center on Work and Family, Boston University School of Social Work, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. llundgre@bu.edu
authors.forename: Lena M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Lundgren
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.forename: Therese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Maryann
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amodeo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008404:Massachusetts; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D008691:Methadone