methamphetamine was the drug that most women had used while they were pregnant. Next, she found that the biggest challenges for most mothers on drugs were tantrums, excessive crying and aggressive behavior/fighting. Sober mothers did not seem to think that tantrums were so challenging and reported crying and fighting as the most challenging child behaviors they had encountered.

The majority of participants noticed that overall challenges with their children had decreased after they enrolled in recovery programs. This decrease appeared to be correlated with the mother’s sobriety, Mata stated.

Additionally, CVRM staff members told Mata that they thought the most beneficial services for the women were parenting classes, counseling, mentoring, and spiritual guidance or education.    

“Organizational culture regarding change should be implemented into programs for culture sensitivity,” Mata stated. “It is important to convince individuals and organizations that our findings are worth their time and attention.”