American Indian Culture and Research Journal

In recent years, the use of alcohol and other drugs by pregnant and parenting women has been a concern. Evidence suggests that prenatal substance exposure can expose newborns to a higher relative risk of health or developmental problems. There are also concerns about the potential substance abuse related problems for the health and psychosocial well-being of mothers, children, families, and communities. Despite the fact that education, outreach, assessment, and treatment are known to be crucial in preventing or alleviating problems, relatively little is known about the most appropriate composition of these services for pregnant and parenting substance-involved women. And relatively little is known about the special needs and concerns that substance-involved pregnant and parenting American Indian women may have. Rarely do surveys over-sample American Indians so as to provide specific American Indian data.