Call for papers - Detecting and treating substance use disorder in pregnancy

Guest Editors

Carmen Amezcua Prieto, PhD, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Granada, Spain
Xiaozhong Wen, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, State University of New York at Buffalo, USA

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 21 November 2024

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth is calling for submissions to our Collection on Detecting and treating substance use disorder in pregnancy.

This Collection aims to share advancements in understanding around identifying and intervening in substance use disorder within the pregnant population. Identifying pregnant individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) is crucial for maternal and child health, yet stigma hinders self-reporting and complicates screening. Standardized screening tools and treatment plans, alongside efforts to combat stigma, are essential for timely intervention and improving outcomes for mothers and children affected by SUD during pregnancy.

New Content Item This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Carmen Amezcua Prieto, PhD, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Granada, Spain

Dr Amezcua Prieto is an Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Granada. She has been the Principal Investigator of the 'Modification of lifestyles during pregnancy and associated factors' project (2015-2016), funded by the Vice-Rectorate for Research of the University of Granada. She was also the PI of the PI-350-2018 project entitled the 'Effect of walking on the prevention of the onset of insomnia in the third trimester of gestation', funded by the Foundation for Biosanitary Research of Eastern Andalusia Alejandro Otero (FIBAO) from 2018-2021. She is currently the PI of the 'Adverse birth effect and maternal and perinatal health' project, ATHENEA, funded by the Office of the Vice-Rector for Research of Granada, with ERDF funds, (2024-2027). In addition, she is a collaborator in two other projects awarded by the ISCIII-AES 2023 (2024-2027) related to pregnancy. She has been awarded 2 six-year research periods and a total of 60 scientific articles published in JCR, 25 of which are related to the main determinants of health, and lifestyles in pregnant women, such as patterns of tobacco consumption, physical activity, nutrition, and insomnia, among others.

Xiaozhong Wen, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, State University of New York at Buffalo, USA

Dr Wen has expertise in preventive medicine and epidemiology. His research focuses on maternal and child health, smoking behaviors, breastfeeding, infant diet, pediatric obesity prevention, and cardio-metabolic conditions. His current research interests include maternal smoking, diet, and other lifestyles during pregnancy and lactation, child growth and development, and the developmental or early origins (e.g. in utero, infancy, and early childhood) of health and disease. He has been receiving external grants as the Principal Investigator from NIH, HRSA/MCHB, USDA, Egg Nutrition Center, and New York State. Dr Wen has published over 100 scientific journal articles.

About the Collection

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth is calling for submissions to our Collection on Detecting and treating substance use disorder in pregnancy.

Substance use disorder (SUD) is uncontrolled use of substances like legal or illegal drugs, alcohol, or other medications. Any substance use during pregnancy poses both short- and long-term risks to both the mother and the developing fetus. Therefore, identifying pregnant individuals with problematic patterns of substance use is important in improving maternal and child health. However, screening pregnant individuals for SUD is complicated by stigma around this topic which lowers rates of self-reporting. Difficulty in identifying individuals in need of treatment for SUD reduces opportunities to provide treatment and support. There is a need for more standardized and universally adopted screening tools and treatment plans to ensure consistent identification of SUD, allowing for timely intervention. Developing evidence-based interventions, enhancing clinical practices, and addressing social stigma related to substance use are important steps in improving maternal and child outcomes.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth is launching a new Collection, Detecting and treating substance use disorder in pregnancy, which aims to share advancements in understanding around identifying and intervening in substance use disorder within the pregnant population. We invite researchers from obstetrics, gynecology, addiction medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, social sciences, public health, and related disciplines to contribute original research articles on topics including but not limited to innovative screening methods and interventions, the impact of different substances on fetal development, and the role of psychosocial factors in substance use disorder during pregnancy.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.

Image credit: ruizluquepaz / Getty Images / iStock

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submissions of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Detecting and treating substance use disorder in pregnancy" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.