evidence: Kristina Brant, assistant professor of rural sociology in the College of Agricultural Sciences and co-author of the study, said the findings underline the complex challenges facing these women and their children — including how the fear of losing custody of their children can prevent mothers from seeking treatment, which ultimately can be harmful for children over time. [...] "Being unable to bring a young child to an inpatient facility can be a huge deterrent for a mother who is contemplating seeking treatment," Apsley said. "Apart from attending inpatient treatment, seeking medications for opioid-use disorder can also be time-consuming, often involving frequent counseling sessions. Being unable to afford child care in these situations can also be a barrier." Because the fear of losing custody of their children is another factor that prevents some women from seeking treatment, the researchers said this could be mitigated by both the child welfare and criminal justice systems working together to promote and prioritize parental access to substance-use disorder treatment.