A Scoping Review of Interventions Focusing on Improving the Quality of Life of Marginalized Women Who Use Substances During Their Pregnancy

Pregnancies in low socioeconomic contexts in the Western Cape are grim realities and result in complex developmental and quality of life (QoL) challenges for women and children, and inevitably perpetuate various social problems. Women in society have a history of marginalization and though there have been numerous efforts for the reclamation of the role of women, marginalization persists. Poor QoL during pregnancy is associated with psychological stress, and women who have poor QoL are more stressed during pregnancy than those who have better QoL. This study aimed to explore the literature around targeted interventions focusing on improving the QoL of pregnant vulnerable and marginalized women using substances. This scoping review method was guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s (International Journal of Social Research Methodology: Theory & Practice 8:19–32, 2005) methodological framework. PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines were followed. Covidence software served as a data management tool to assist with the reviewing of articles. The 2768 articles were imported into Covidence for screening. Nine full-text articles were included in the review and analyzed using Atlas.ti software. It was found that the majority of the interventions were evidence based, thoroughly researched or piloted, and employed in-person counseling strategies. Community-based interventions appear to have been very successful at addressing the QoL needs of these vulnerable populations. This study concluded that to successfully address the QoL needs of these women, evidence-based interventions that address context-specific vulnerabilities would be most effective. We acknowledge the support of the South African Medical Research Council for their generous funding, which made this research possible.