Citation

Jones HE, Berkman ND, Kline TL, Ellerson RM, Browne FA, Poulton W, Wechsberg WM. Int. J. Pediatr. 2011; 2011: 389285.

Affiliation

Substance Abuse Treatment Evaluation and Intervention, RTI International, 3040 Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Hindawi Publishing)

DOI

10.1155/2011/389285

PMID

21541069

PMCID

PMC3083849

Abstract

African-American women who use crack are vulnerable to HIV because of the complex social circumstances in which they live. Drug-abuse treatment for these women during pregnancy may provide time for changing risk behaviors. This paper examines the initial 6-month feasibility of a women-focused HIV intervention, the Women's CoOp, adapted for pregnant women, relative to treatment-as-usual among 59 pregnant African-American women enrolled in drug-abuse treatment. At treatment entry, the women were largely homeless, unemployed, practicing unsafe sex, and involved in violence. Results indicated marked reductions in homelessness, use of cocaine and illegal drugs, involvement in physical violence, and an increase in knowledge of HIV from baseline to 6-month followup for both conditions. Findings suggest that the Women's CoOp intervention could be successfully adapted to treat this hard-to-reach population. Future studies should examine the efficacy of the pregnancy-adapted Women's CoOp for women not enrolled in drug-abuse treatment.

Language: en