# Doula Support Engagement in a Population of Pregnant and Parenting Women in Drug Treatment

> **NIH AHRQ R03** · THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $37,830

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The current opioid crisis in the United States is well documented, with prevailing disparities in
maternal outcomes for pregnant women with opioid use disorder. Women with opioid use
disorder (OUD) experience lower rates of prenatal healthcare utilization and increased rates of
emergency room utilization. Further, in this population there are higher rates of comorbid
conditions, prevailing sociodemographic and health disadvantages, and parenting disparities.
Women with OUD report fewer social supports and relationships to help them during the
transition to parenthood. Current healthcare models do not meet the needs of this vulnerable
population, requiring novel approaches in the perinatal period such as doula engagement.
Doula intervention in this population of parenting women with OUD is not well studied. This
project seeks to evaluate doula engagement in women with OUD during the perinatal period to
study its effect on healthcare utilization, maternal clinical birth outcomes and post-partum
psychosocial health, and parenting domains. All study procedures will occur at the Maternal
Addiction Treatment Education & Research (MATER) program at Thomas Jefferson University,
one of the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive OUD treatment programs in the U.S. for
pregnant and parenting women. Over the 2-year project period, up to 100 pregnant women in
treatment for OUD at MATER will be enrolled into either a doula or non-doula cohort to be
followed over their perinatal period. Differences in outcomes will be compared between the two
groups. Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected from electronic health records,
validated study assessments, semi-structured interviews, a demographic survey, and an
observational parenting assessment. In Aim 1, we will evaluate how doula care engagement
affects healthcare utilization of women in treatment for OUD during the perinatal period. In Aim
2, we will evaluate how doula care engagement affects birth outcomes and psychosocial health
of women in treatment for OUD. Finally, in Aim 3, we will evaluate how doula engagement
affects parenting domains in the mother child dyad, for those dyads affected by OUD. This
project responds to AHRQ's special emphasis notice of interest for health services research on
the opioid crisis (NOT-HS-18-015) and addresses the experience and outcomes of women and
individuals living in an urban area, AHRQ priority populations. Given the prevalence of OUD
across the U.S. and the disparities in healthcare utilization and maternal perinatal outcomes for
pregnant women with OUD, we anticipate this research will be of significant impact.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10528143
- **Project number:** 1R03HS028498-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Meghan Gannon
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** AHRQ
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $37,830
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10528143

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10528143, Doula Support Engagement in a Population of Pregnant and Parenting Women in Drug Treatment (1R03HS028498-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10528143. Licensed CC0.

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