Drug-Dependent Mother's Needs in Childcare: An Integrative Literature Review

Objectives: Substance abuse is becoming a particularly alarming issue among women and has been a concerning surge in societies. Childcare is a principal part of pediatric preventive healthcare. A robust body of research has linked maternal substance use with less optimal motherhood and childcare. Given the challenges of parenting for mothers with substance use, as well as the existence of a gap in the literature regarding substance use mothers' needs in childcare, this integrative literature review was performed. This review aimed to explore the parenting needs of drug-dependent women to optimize the long-term health and development of their children. Methods: Electronic searching of Medline, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, SID, and Google Scholar was performed up to October 2024. Inclusion criteria consist of both English and Persian-published studies assessing childcare challenges and needs in drug-abused women. In the long run, 464 studies met the inclusion criteria. The quality of 20 final reports was evaluated by two researchers who extracted data based on the Whittemore and Knafl recommendations. Results: The childcare needs of these mothers were classified into two main categories: Health care & clinical services (primary health care, perinatal health care, home visits, reproductive health care, breastfeeding counseling, exclusive breastfeeding training, family-planning, self-care education, health education, mental health screening, and counseling, educated health providers, healthcare accessibility) and human & social services (parenting skills education, informative interventions, family counseling, psychological counseling, financial support, instrumental support, spiritual support, emotional support, risk behaviors control, social skills education, empower women, create peer communities, support networks, insurance plans). Conclusions: The childcare needs of these mothers were classified into two main categories: health care & clinical services and human & social services. The findings of this research indicate that childcare for mothers affected by opioid use disorder necessitates a multi-disciplinary approach to identify, develop, and address their needs.