Ontario Mothers' Substance-Related ER Visits Rise Almost 5% a Year

Emergency department visits for substance use by mothers with dependent children in Ontario rose almost 5% a year, against almost 2% a year among women without children, according to a study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The visits involved mainly opioids, amphetamines and cannabis.

The increases were concentrated among mothers under 25, whose rates grew more than four times faster than those of other women. Patterns for hospital admissions were similar.

Researchers used ICES data from 2008 to 2024 on all women in Ontario who gave birth and had at least one child aged 18 or younger. They compared 988,106 birthing parents with 1,198,063 age-matched women without children.

"We wanted to understand some of the broader effects of rising substance use," said co-author Daniel Myran of North York General and the University of Toronto. "In this study, we asked whether mothers have been spared these overlapping crises, and the answer appears to be no."

Alcohol still leads

Relative increases were highest for amphetamines, cannabis and opioids, but alcohol remained the biggest driver. In 2024 it accounted for 46% of emergency visits and 41% of hospitalizations for substance use among mothers.

These visits remain relatively rare, affecting about 0.5% of mothers. Myran said that for each mother seeking such care there are likely others who did not, either because of stigma or because their substance use was not severe enough to need hospital care.

Colleen Webber of the Bruyere Health Research Institute in Ottawa said the alcohol figures may reflect the "pinking" of alcohol, in which products are marketed to women and mothers through "mommy wine culture."

The authors stress that the study cannot say whether motherhood itself drives the rise. The higher rates among mothers under 25 likely relate to other factors that lead to earlier childbearing and also raise the risk of substance use.

Growing up with a parent who has a substance use disorder is considered an adverse childhood experience, Webber noted, yet there is little evidence on substance use in parents. Myran said the findings suggest a growing number of children in Ontario may be living with a mother who has a serious substance use disorder.

The authors call for care adapted to young parents, such as integrated services for substance use and mental health and programs that accommodate parenting duties. They also name income and housing supports and measures against intimate partner violence.

Source: Medical Xpress