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Does Maternal Incarceration Impact Infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome?

Matthew J Drago1,2, Veronika Shabanova3, Daniela Hochreiter4

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Section of Neonatology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. matthew.drago@mssm.edu.

Maternal and Child Health Journal
|January 28, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Infants born to incarcerated mothers experienced longer hospital stays for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Supporting the maternal-infant dyad may improve care for these vulnerable newborns.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) research
  • Maternal Incarceration impact on infant health
  • Public Health and Vulnerable Populations

Background:

  • Opioid-exposed infants born to incarcerated women are an understudied, vulnerable group.
  • The effect of maternal incarceration on infant length of stay (LOS) for NAS is not well understood.
  • This study investigates the association between maternal incarceration and NAS infant LOS.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if infants with NAS born to incarcerated women have a longer hospital LOS compared to those born to non-incarcerated women.
  • To identify differences in prenatal substance exposure and infant feeding practices.
  • To inform interventions supporting the maternal-infant dyad.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study of 166 infants with NAS (2011-2018) at Connecticut's women's prison delivery site.
  • Infants assessed using Finnegan Scores; treated with morphine and phenobarbital.
  • Poisson regression used to compare LOS between groups.

Main Results:

  • Infants of incarcerated women had a longer adjusted mean LOS (18.5 vs. 16.6 days).
  • Higher rates of prenatal alcohol and benzodiazepine use reported in incarcerated mothers.
  • Infants of incarcerated mothers were less likely to be breastfed at discharge (3.6% vs. 37%).

Conclusions:

  • Maternal incarceration is associated with longer LOS for infants with NAS.
  • Infants born to incarcerated women exhibit different prenatal exposures and lower breastfeeding rates.
  • Interventions supporting the maternal-infant dyad until discharge may mitigate negative impacts.
Abstract

Keywords:
Health equityIncarcerationNeonatal abstinence syndromeOpioid abusePregnant women

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