Substance Abuse During Pregnancy and Childhood / Edition 1

by Roland R. Watson

Overview

Alcohol and other drugs of abuse cause significant physi­ ological changes, especially during development. The effects on the infant and child range from severe mental retardation to mild changes in activity and neurological functions. Although the level of intake needed to cause fetal damage is not clear, the magnitude of the problem is significant, with many long-term sequelae. As a result, it becomes critical to better diagnose and manage drug and alcohol use during pregnancy. This must involve special training for health care professionals. In addi­ tion, recognition of the psychosocial factors affecting alcohol use, especially by youth and young adults, is critical to modi­ fying behavior, and thus reducing fetal alcohol exposure. Cultural considerations can also come into play in modi­ fying alcohol and drug use by women so as to reduce fetal damage. The trends in alcohol and drug use by youth forecast rising levels of damage to infants. These children will need extensive medical and educational care for years to decades. Clearly, understanding of the role women must take in modifying their alcohol and drug use during pregnancy will facilitate changes in our cultural and educational practices that will help reduce fetal trauma from alcohol.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461266747
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Publication date:	10/09/2012
Series:	Drug and Alcohol Abuse Reviews , #8
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1995
Pages:	126
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.01(d)

Table of Contents

Diagnosis and Management of Drug Abuse During Pregnancy:Assessment of Consequences.- Training Health Care and Human Services Personnel in Perinatal Substance Abuse.- Psychosocial Factors Affecting Rural Adolescent Alcohol Use.- The Role of Culture in Preventing Perinatal Abuse of Alcohol and Other Drugs.- Trends and Theories Concerning Alcohol and Other Drug Use Among Adolescent Females.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Randall S. Kuhlmann, MD, PhD (Medical College of Wisconsin)
Description: This is an original work concerning aspects of substance abuse as it pertains to pregnancy and childhood. It provides the physician-in-training as well as practicing physicians and other health care providers with the basic understanding and management of patients with substance abuse problems.
Purpose: The purpose is to facilitate the diagnosis and management of drug and alcohol abuse during pregnancy. These objectives are important in providing health care providers with the ability to convince women of their role to reduce fetal trauma from substance abuse. The book meets the author's objectives.
Audience: The book is written for all health care professionals who deal with women of reproductive age. The authors are well known in the field of psychology, obstetrics and gynecology, and social services.
Features: The book is appropriately illustrated. The references are up-to-date and include many well-reviewed journals. The table of content is appropriate.
Assessment: The book is useful to health care providers in identifying and managing the patient with substance abuse. As an academic perinatologist, I would find this book useful as an educational tool for resident education. It is a very good reference for providing health care professionals information on management and prevention of substance abuse. Two chapters written by L. Curet and K. Farkas are outstanding and provide much insight in perinatal substance abuse.

Doody's Review Service