Expanding Knowledge About and Evaluating Services for Incarcerated Pregnant and Postpartum Women in Arkansas

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Childbirth Problems; Health Care Acceptability; Health Risk Behaviors; Maternal Care Patterns; Quality of Life; Health Problems in Pregnancy; Parent-Child Relations; Emotional Stress

• Registration Number: NCT04421235
• Lead Sponsor: University of Arkansas

Brief Summary

The number of women who are incarcerated in the U.S. has increased dramatically over the past 20 years-over 750%, or from 13,258 in 1980 to 111,616 in 2016. Arkansas incarcerates 92 women per 100,000 population compared to 57 per 100,000 average across all states, ranking the state as the 8th highest in the nation. Over 75% of incarcerated women are of childbearing age and about 4% are pregnant upon intake. However, little is known about the population of women who have become incarcerated while pregnant in Arkansas - including the outcomes of these women and their children and how these outcomes may vary in relation to services that are received during incarceration. This research study aims to first expand knowledge on incarcerated women in Arkansas by using administrative data to retrospectively examine the health status and outcomes of pregnant women who were incarcerated in state prison by Arkansas from June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2019 (a five-year cohort; Aim 1). Then, we will lay the groundwork for and subsequently analyze data on outcomes and perspectives of women who have been incarcerated in Arkansas while pregnant (Aims 2 and 3). We will also seek to understand the feasibility and acceptability of elements of an enhanced support program for incarcerated pregnant women recently launched via a collaboration between Arkansas Department of Corrections and UAMS.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2020-05-27
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-06-05
• Study First Posted: 2020-06-09
• Study Start: 2021-11-19
• Primary Completion: 2024-01-30
• Study Completion: 2024-01-30
• Status Verified: 2025-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-07-17
• Last Update Posted: 2025-07-22

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 10

Inclusion Criteria

• Women incarcerated in Arkansas state prison system
• 18 years or older
• Able to give informed consent
• Pregnant or has given birth in past year

Exclusion Criteria

• Under 18 years of age

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Program Acceptability	Up to 12 months after delivery	Self-report ratings of the acceptability of each program component
Program Utilization	Up to 12 months after delivery	% of eligible women who choose to enroll in each program component

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
PTSD Symptoms	Up to 12 months after delivery	Self-report scores on PTSD Checklist (PCL-5)
Health-Related Quality of Life	Up to 12 months after delivery	Self-report scores on the EQ-5D-5L
Parental Stress	Up to 12 months after delivery	Self-report scores on the Parenting Stress Index
Childbirth Complications	Up to 12 months after delivery	Chart review to determine presence/absence of common pregnancy complications
Social Support	Up to 12 months after delivery	Self-report scores on Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support
Drug Use	Up to 12 months after delivery	Binary self-report for common classes of drugs
Pregnancy Complications	From the date of enrollment until the date of childbirth or the date of pregnancy loss or termination, whichever came first, assessed up to 50 weeks	Chart review to determine presence/absence of common pregnancy complications
Depressive Symptoms	Up to 12 months after delivery	Self-report scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
Parental Sense of Competence	Up to 12 months after delivery	Self-report scores on the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; 🇺🇸 Little Rock, Arkansas, United States