Length of stay and treatment completion for mothers with substance abuse issues in integrated treatment programmes

Aim: To examine the effects of integrated treatment programmes (those with addiction services and pregnancy-, parenting- or child-related services) on length of stay and treatment completion. Methods: We systematically reviewed studies published between 1990 and 2008 comparing integrated programmes with non-integrated programmes on length of stay (number of studies [K] = 3, number of participants [n] = 1910) and treatment completion (K = 6, n = 2556). We performed meta-analyses using standardized mean differences (d) of effect size estimates. Findings: There was a significant advantage of integrated treatment programmes over non-integrated treatment in the number of days women spent in treatment (d = 0.35, p < 0.0001) but not treatment completion (d = 0.38, p = 0.09). Conclusions: This meta-analysis is the first systematic quantitative review of studies evaluating the impact of integrated programmes. Findings suggest that integrated programmes may be associated with a small advantage over non-integrated programmes in length of stay. This review highlights the need for further research with improved methodology, quality, and reporting to improve our understanding of how best to engage, retain and support mothers with substance abuse issues in treatment.