Exploring the effects that drugs have during pregnancy : a Maltese perspective

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the effects that both licit and illicit drugs have when consumed during pregnancy. This study aims to discover whether the Maltese community are aware about the consequences that these drugs can potentially have on the mother and foetus. The data for this study is obtained via an online questionnaire, made public on the researchers personal Facebook and Instagram account. The gathered data was later analysed using Microsoft Excel and represented in various types of tables and figures. The results showed that the Maltese community has an adequate general knowledge on the effects that these illegal and socially accepted drugs have on the pregnancy. With this being said, there were participants who lacked specific knowledge regarding technical terminologies. It was found that the majority of the participants believe that this subject should be given more awareness and attention around Malta. Additionally, it was revealed that the participants considered cigarettes and cannabis as the least harmful drug a pregnant woman can consume during pregnancy. Gender based trends were also discovered. An example of these trends is found when asked the question about sudden infant death syndrome. While the majority of females were knowledgeable about this term, most of the male participants did not know what the term referred to. Additionally, this study also revealed that the male participants were those who were not aware of organisations willing to help these women.