Background: Lack of social support during pregnancy may be associated with the prenatal use of alcohol. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree, predictors, and consequences of social support in a cohort of 200 pregnant women who scored 2 or more on the T-ACE, a 4-item screening questionnaire for prenatal drinking.
Methods: The pregnant women completed the Maternal Social Support Index (MSSI). Their partners completed the same measure, which was modified to reflect their status as the biological fathers.
Results: Despite having similar overall MSSI scores, there was only slight to fair agreement on the level of support received by the pregnant women for most daily tasks when their responses were compared with their partners. Predictors of increased maternal social support included the woman's being married and having more education and a more prestigious job than her partner. Social support was not predictive of either subsequent prenatal alcohol use or newborn birth weight.
Conclusions: Regardless of social support, previous, prepregnancy, and early pregnancy drinking were the most predictive factors for subsequent prenatal alcohol consumption in this sample, underscoring the importance of screening pregnant women for drinking.