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Drug-exposed infants

L S Carter, C S Larson

    The Future of Children
    |July 1, 1997
    PubMed

    Insights

    Societal concern regarding drug-exposed infants persists. While judicial and legislative responses favor treatment over punishment, and evaluations show some effectiveness, ongoing rigorous outcome assessments are crucial for improving care.

    Area of Science:

    • Public Health
    • Sociology
    • Pediatrics

    Background:

    • The issue of drug-exposed infants has been a significant societal concern for over a decade.
    • Past reviews in 'The Future of Children' journal have tracked judicial, legislative, and treatment trends.
    • Early responses focused on treatment programs rather than prosecuting pregnant substance-abusing women.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To review the historical judicial and legislative responses to drug-exposed infants.
    • To evaluate the effectiveness of past treatment programs.
    • To identify future needs in research and treatment.

    Main Methods:

    • Analysis of judicial and legislative trends from the early 1990s.
    • Review of evaluations of federally funded treatment programs.
    • Synthesis of information updates from 'The Future of Children' journal.

    Main Results:

    • Appellate courts largely rejected prosecuting pregnant substance-abusing women.
    • Legislative efforts primarily established treatment programs over punitive measures.
    • Evaluations indicated some effectiveness of treatment programs, but highlighted the need for more rigorous outcome studies.

    Conclusions:

    • Trends favoring treatment over punishment for substance-abusing pregnant women have largely continued.
    • Existing treatment programs show some efficacy.
    • There is an ongoing necessity for robust evaluations of treatment outcomes for drug-exposed infants and their mothers.

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