Methodological issues and practices in measuring perinatal alcohol and other drug treatment outcomes

Information about the effectiveness of alcohol and other drug treatment pro grams for chemically dependent women is limited, partly due to a general la ck of studies, as well as methodological limitations among those that do ex ist. This manuscript describes some issues and practices derived from the d esign and implementation of an evaluation of health and social outcomes of participants in the California Perinatal Services Network, a statewide effo rt designed to promote perinatal alcohol and other drug treatment and recov ery through effective services. Certain advantages and disadvantages for sa mpling, recruitment, and data analytic strategies based on findings from th is research are presented that may be useful to the planning and implementa tion of other AOD outcomes investigations.