SOS PrOMPT: Suburban Opioid Study- Providing for Opioid-using Mothers and Pregnant Women who need Treatment

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Project Summary/Abstract The broad goal of the parent R15 Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) study is to gain a more in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of suburban women who use opioids while they are pregnant or caring for children 12 years old and younger. The number of mothers and pregnant women who are using opioids is increasing. The specific aims of the Suburban Opioid Study- Providing for Opioid-using Mothers and Pregnant Women who need Treatment (SOS-PrOMPT) are: (1) To identify barriers to health and social services and resources needed by OMP women; (2) To determine the impact of suburban governing agencies on OMP women and their families; and (3) To examine challenges OMP women faced during the COVID-19 lockdown and social isolation policies. The SOS-PrOMPT sample will include 50% minority women. SOS-PrOMPT is a longitudinal study using mixed methods, including ethnographic research, survey data collection, and three in-depth qualitative interviews with 40 OMP women collected over one year. The study is conducted in two suburban field sites in New Jersey and Connecticut. To address a COVID landscape, face-to-face ethnography is enhanced with online/remote strategies. This supplement will facilitate the involvement and training of a post-baccalaureate female candidate from a disadvantaged background who has been underrepresented in health-related research. The candidate's unique contribution to the diversity supplement project will further the goals of the parent grant. Recent research suggests that involvement in both medication-assisted-treatment (MAT) and syringe exchange programs (SEPs) reduces risk behaviors during treatment, but access to collaborative partnerships with MAT and SEPs is lacking for many who need it. Drawing from the sample of women in the parent SOS- PrOMPT, the candidate will interview 30 women with the aims (1) to identify barriers suburban women experienced when attempting to access MAT clinics and SEPs since COVID-19; and (2) to compare access to MAT clinics and SEPs between suburban women from two different states with dissimilar settings, resources, and policies on substance use. The supplement will enhance her research skills and knowledge of social sciences research of people with substance use disorders and provide opportunities for career development as a productive researcher.