Interactive Motivational Media for Perinatal Drug Abuse - 3

The goal of this exploratory/developmental proposal is to develop a low-cost, highly adaptable brief motivational intervention for perinatal drug abuse via embedding motivational principles in a self-contained interactive computer system. The Motivation Enhancement System (MES) will utilize a touch-screen, audio enhancement, and an interactive narrator to guide women in the immediate post-partum period through evaluation (thus facilitating self-report) and a one-time motivational intervention. A taxi voucher will be provided to further facilitate entry into treatment, and multiple tailored self-help mailings will be issued following discharge. If validated, this intervention could offer a highly cost-effective, replicable, and prescriptive method for increasing self-change and treatment involvement in drug abusers. Following development of the MES, a preliminary pilot phase will study the use of the MES with post-partum drug-using women and make necessary modifications, using data from participant debriefings and a single-case research design. After optimization of the MES, a clinical trial will randomly assign 120 post-partum drug-using women into treatment or assessment only conditions, with a 3-month blinded follow up to evaluate intervention effects on drug use and treatment involvement. Toxicological and self-report measures, as well as objective analysis of infant development, will be utilized. Participants will be lower socioeconomic status urban women.

Woman in immediate postpartum period

Inclusion criteria

Screen positive for drug use (self-report)

Exclusion criteria

Frank psychosis or other cognitive impairment, fatigue, grief over medically compromised infant, inability to communicate in English