Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan;38(1):70-76.
doi: 10.1111/jrh.12488. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Substance Use Disorder Treatment, Perceived Need for Treatment, and Barriers to Treatment Among Parenting Women With Substance Use Disorder in US Rural Counties

Mir M Ali  1 , Emma Nye  1 , Kristina West  1
Affiliations

Substance Use Disorder Treatment, Perceived Need for Treatment, and Barriers to Treatment Among Parenting Women With Substance Use Disorder in US Rural Counties

Mir M Ali et al. J Rural Health. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: Higher rates of substance use in rural counties compared to urban counties have been well documented. Low perceived need for treatment among those with substance use disorder (SUD) has also been documented in the literature. However, not much is known about SUD treatment among parenting women in rural counties and the impact of perceived need for treatment in seeking care. Little research has also examined barriers to SUD treatment among parenting women in rural communities.

Methods: Using a large nationally representative dataset, the study utilizes multivariable logistic regression models to estimate the differences in utilizing SUD treatment among parenting women with SUD in rural and urban counties in the United States. Role of perceived need for SUD treatment and barriers related to finance, access, and stigma are also examined.

Results: Parenting women in rural counties with SUD who perceive a need for treatment have more than 90% lower odds of receiving treatment compared to those in urban counties. In addition, parenting women with SUD in rural counties have more than 50% higher odds of identifying access-related issues such as lack of openings in programs, unavailability of treatment facilities, and lack of transportation as barriers to care compared to parenting women in urban counties.

Conclusion: Diagnosis of SUD among parenting women is steadily increasing in rural communities. While many resources in combatting maternal SUD are being utilized, policy and programmatic responses tailored for mothers with SUD in rural communities might help increase utilization of treatment and reduce barriers to treatment.

Keywords: access to care; maternal health; rural health; substance use disorder; utilization of health services.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ten leading causes of injury deaths by age group highlighting unintentional injury deaths, United States - 2014. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control CDC. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/pdf/leading_causes_of_injury_deaths_h.... Updated 2016. Accessed January 15, 2019.
    1. Browne T, Priester MA, Clone S, Iachini A, DeHart D, Hock R. Barriers and facilitators to substance use treatment in the rural south: a qualitative study. J Rural Health. 2016;32:92-101. https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12129
    1. Bolin JN, Bellamy G. Rural Healthy People 2020. College Station, TX: Texas A&M Health Science Center; 2011. Available at: https://sph.tamhsc.edu/srhrc/docs/rhp2020.pdf. Accessed November 26, 2019.
    1. Sanmartin MX, Ali MM, Chen J, Dwyer DS. Prescription opioid misuse, sources of opioids and reasons for opioid misuse among reproductive aged parenting women with major depressive episode. J Addict Behav, 2019;98:106057. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106057
    1. Kozhimannil KB, Graves AJ, Jarlenski M, Kennedy-Hendricks A, Gollust S, Barry CL. Non-medical opioid use and sources of opioids among pregnant and non-pregnant reproductive-aged women. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2017;174:201-208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.01.003