Women's perception of provider, social, and program support in an outpatient drug treatment program

The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of pregnant and parent ing substance-abusing women in an outpatient drug treatment program regardi ng provider and social support. Also identified were aspects of the rehabil itation program perceived by the women as assisting them to maintain abstin ence from substance use. Data were collected through a demographic question naire and a tool designed by the authors based on the Social Stress Model o f Substance Abuse (Lindenberg et al., 1993) and the literature of social su pport. The majority of the women were satisfied with their social support f rom family and friends. Sixty-seven percent of the women felt the support r eceived from medical providers were not adequate. Also, the majority of the women received no information on risks of drug use and pregnancy from thei r medical providers. The women felt the program helped maintain abstinence by providing education, coping mechanisms, resources, 12-step programs, and spiritual guidance. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.