# Social Ecological Contexts of Opioid Overdose and Hospital Readmission in the Postpartum Period

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2020 · $43,849

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The goal of this F31 fellowship is to prepare me to become an independent researcher who can effectively
contribute to addressing the individual and social ecological contexts that place women at risk for opioid use
and overdose in the postpartum period. In the United States, opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy has
quadrupled since 1999, with overdose becoming a leading cause of non-pregnancy related death among
pregnant and postpartum women. While identifying and treating OUD during pregnancy is a public health
priority, limited attention has been given to the overdose and hospital readmission risks among postpartum
women (defined here as being within the first year after childbirth) with OUD. Epidemiological data suggest
women are at highest risk of overdose 7-12 months post-delivery with rates 25% higher than at pre-conception.
Less understood are the co-morbid health issues, systemic social conditions, and limited health and social
services women with OUD continue to face in their communities after childbirth. Under the guidance of my
mentorship team and enhanced by the training from this fellowship, I will utilize inpatient hospital data from the
Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) to assess hospital readmissions among women
with OUD within one year of childbirth. Data will be merged with community-level data sources, such as the
U.S. Census and SAMSHA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator, to determine how community
context impacts postpartum opioid outcomes. The Specific Aims of this study are to: 1) Identify subgroups of
women with OUD at delivery at increased risk of overall and opioid-specific hospitalizations postpartum; 2)
Examine the association between community-level factors and individual class memberships, as well as their
independent effects on postpartum opioid-related hospitalizations; and 3) Examine the spatial distribution of
hospital births and postpartum opioid-related readmissions among women with OUD, and identify the
community factors associated with ZIP code-level counts of deliveries and readmissions. To accomplish the
proposed research, I will implement a comprehensive training and mentorship plan that will build on my prior
substance use knowledge, research experience, and doctoral training. Specifically, my Training Goals will
focus on expanding my knowledge and/or skills in: 1) reproductive health and opioid use among pregnant and
postpartum women; 2) social and ecological determinants of substance use; 3) latent class analyses; 4)
multilevel analyses; and 5) spatial analyses. These goals will be accomplished through a range of coursework,
seminars, clinical observations, conferences, journal readings, and tailored mentoring from a committed team
of interdisciplinary researchers. Complemented by support from a dedicated research and training environment
at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, this fellowship will accelerate my ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10066577
- **Project number:** 1F31DA052142-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Jessica Frankeberger
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $43,849
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10066577

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10066577, Social Ecological Contexts of Opioid Overdose and Hospital Readmission in the Postpartum Period (1F31DA052142-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10066577. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*