Contraceptive Knowledge among Females and Males Receiving Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Compared to Those Seeking Primary Care

Contraceptive decision-making through the lens of social determinants of health among female sex workers: A qualitative descriptive study

AIMS

The aim of the study was to examine how female sex worker's motivations, desires, intentions and behaviours towards childbearing and childbearing avoidance inform their contraceptive decision-making. We explored the influence of social determinants of health in the domains of social context (sexual partners and experiences of violence), healthcare access, economic instability on the contraceptive decision-making process.

DESIGN

We conducted a qualitative descriptive study informed by Miller's Theory of Childbearing Motivations, Desires and Intentions through the lens of social determinants of health.

METHODS

Participants were recruited from a parent study, EMERALD, in July-September, 2020. Data were collected from 22 female sex workers ages 18-49 using semi-structured 45 to 60-min audio-recorded interviews and transcribed verbatim. Theory guided the development of the study's interview guide and thematic analytic strategy.

RESULTS

Five themes emerged related to contraceptive decision-making: Motivations (value of fatherhood), Desires (relationships with love), Intentions and Behaviours (drugs overpower everything, contraceptive strategies and having children means being a protector). Women's contraceptive decision-making often included intentions to use contraception. However, social determinants such relationships with clients and intimate partners, interpersonal violence and challenges accessing traditional health care offering contraceptive services often interfered with these intentions and influenced contraceptive behaviours.

CONCLUSION

Women's contraceptive decision-making process included well-informed desires related to childbearing and contraceptive use. However, social determinants across domains of health interfered with autonomous contraceptive decision-making. More effort is needed to examine the influence of social determinants on the reproductive health of this population.

IMPACT

Findings from this study build on existing research that examines social determinants impacting reproductive health among female sex workers. Existing theoretical frameworks may not fully capture the influence constrained reproductive autonomy has on contraceptive decision-making. Future studies examining interpersonal and structural barriers to contraception are warranted.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

The parent study, EMERALD, collaborated with community service providers in the study intervention.

Health Status and Preventive Health Services Among Reproductive-Aged Women in Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

Objective

To assess the utilization of preventive health services and the prevalence of chronic health conditions among a cohort of women in treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD).

Methods

Ninety-seven women who were receiving treatment for OUD from a single urban treatment program completed a self-administered anonymous online questionnaire that asked about demographics, health, receipt of preventive health services, and utilization of health care. Descriptive statistics were used to describe data.

Results

More than one-third of respondents reported that their health was fair or poor, whereas one-quarter were very concerned with their health. Most participants (59%) reported at least one chronic health condition; nearly 1 in 5 reported two or more conditions. Less than half of respondents had received a routine medical examination in the past year. Vaccine uptake was low; 56% received the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine and 36% received the annual influenza vaccine.

Conclusions

Women in treatment for OUD could benefit from enhanced health care to address the high rates of chronic diseases and risk factors and underutilization of recommended preventive health services. Interventions and models of care that aim to enhance utilization of such services, and ultimately improve the health of this vulnerable population, may be worth exploring.

Perspectives among women receiving medications for opioid use disorder: Implications for development of a peer navigation intervention to improve access to family planning services

Background Studies have consistently found high rates of unintended pregnancy among women with opioid use disorder (OUD). Few interventions have been developed to specifically engage and address the family planning (FP) needs of women in substance use disorder treatment. Objectives: Our goal was to collect formative qualitative data to identify the FP experiences, needs and service preferences of women receiving medications for OUD and to use these data to develop a FP education and navigation intervention that could be tested in diverse, resource-limited treatment settings. Methods: From August 2016 to April 2017, we conducted 21 guided qualitative interviews with women from two outpatient treatment clinics in Denver, Colorado. We recorded, transcribed, and coded all interviews. We then facilitated three focus groups (n = 16) from May to July 2017 to verify or challenge interview themes and to further inform the development of the FP intervention. Results: Most participants expressed ambivalence or low perceived risk regarding unintended pregnancy and desired more information about contraceptive methods. Many participants described mistrust or lack of engagement in the medical system and histories of trauma were a common barrier to seeking services. Focus group participants endorsed a peer-led FP navigation intervention and provided feedback to tailor existing FP educational materials to fit the specific needs of women in recovery. Conclusions/Importance: Results from this qualitative study suggest that women in recovery from OUD have unique, unmet FP education and service needs. These findings provide important information for the development of feasible and acceptable FP service delivery within diverse, resource-limited treatment settings and informed the development of a trauma-informed, peer-led FP education and navigation intervention that would be implemented in a subsequent phase of the study.

Contraceptive initiation after delivery among women with and without opioid use disorders: A retrospective cohort study in a statewide Medicaid population, 2005-2016

BACKGROUND

This study examined contraceptive initiation patterns in the 12 months following childbirth among women with opioid use disorder (OUD), women with non-opioid substance use disorders (SUDs), and women without SUDs.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using claims data from South Carolina Medicaid-enrolled women aged 15-44 who had singleton live birth between January 2005 and December 2016. Study outcomes were initiation of most or moderately effective (MME) contraceptive methods. Using multivariable and propensity score-weighted logistic regression, we analyzed the relationship between OUD and contraceptive initiation within 12 months after delivery.

RESULTS

We identified 71,283 live birth deliveries during the study period. In multivariable analysis, women with non-opioid SUDs and women without SUDs compared to women with OUD were more likely to initiate a MME method vs a least effective method or no method by 3 months (non-opioid SUDs: odds ratio [OR] = 1.32, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.14-1.52; no SUDs: OR = 1.55, 95 % CI = 1.36-1.77) and 12 months (non-opioid SUD: OR = 1.23, 95 % CI = 1.06-1.42; no SUD: OR = 1.46, 95 % CI = 1.27-1.66) after delivery. With regards to the timing of initiation, women with non-opioid SUDs and women without SUDs were more likely than women with OUD to initiate a MME method vs a least effective method or no method after the immediate postpartum period through 3 months following delivery (non-opioid SUDs: OR = 1.41, 95 % CI = 1.18-1.68; no SUDs: OR = 1.87, 95 % CI = 1.59-2.21). We detected the similar patterns in analyses that used propensity score weighting.

CONCLUSION

OUD was associated with decreased likelihood of initiating a MME contraceptive method within 12 months after delivery.