Honors Program

[Honors-in-Discipline (Choose below)], Honors in Psychology

Date of Award

5-2025

Thesis Professor(s)

Dr. Alyson Chroust

Thesis Professor Department

<--College of Arts and Sciences-->

Thesis Reader(s)

Dr. Gerald Deehan

Abstract

This thesis explores the impact of prenatal polysubstance exposure, specifically focusing on the need for pharmacological treatment for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and the duration of their hospital stay. A retrospective analysis of 462 infants, including 121 exposed to polysubstances during pregnancy, showed significant associations between polysubstance exposure and adverse neonatal outcomes. Infants with prenatal polysubstance exposure were more likely to require pharmacological treatment for NAS (52.8%) compared to non-exposed infants (38.7%), as determined by chi-square analysis (χ²(1, N = 462) = 7.36, p = .007). Additionally, infants exposed to polysubstances experienced longer hospital stays on average (M = 14.88 days, SD = 13.87) compared to non-exposed infants (M = 10.01 days, SD = 8.76), with Welch’s t-test indicating a significant mean difference of 4.87 days (95% CI: 2.20, 7.54, p < .001). These results demonstrate the risks associated with prenatal polysubstance use and emphasize the need for early intervention, tailored treatment protocols, and interdisciplinary care models to address maternal mental health and substance use. This research contributes to a growing body of literature that advocates for comprehensive healthcare strategies to improve neonatal and maternal outcomes.

Publisher

East Tennessee State University

Document Type

Honors Thesis - Open Access

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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