Parental Substance Abuse As an Early Traumatic Event. Preliminary Findings on Neuropsychological and Personality Functioning in Young Drug Addicts Exposed to Drugs Early.

open5noParental substance use is a major risk factor for child development, heightening the risk of drug problems in adolescence and young adulthood, and exposing offspring to several types of traumatic events. First, prenatal drug exposure can be considered a form of trauma itself, with subtle but long-lasting sequelae at the neuro-behavioral level. Second, parents’ addiction often entails a childrearing environment characterized by poor parenting skills, disadvantaged contexts and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), leading to dysfunctional outcomes. Young adults born from/raised by parents with drug problems and diagnosed with a Substance Used Disorder (SUD) themselves might display a particularly severe condition in terms of cognitive deficits and impaired personality function. This preliminary study aims to investigate the role of early exposure to drugs as a traumatic event, capable of affecting the psychological status of young drug addicts. In particular, it intends to examine the neuropsychological functioning and personality profile of young adults with severe SUDs who were exposed to drugs early in their family context. The research involved three groups, each consisting of 15 young adults (aged 18–24): a group of inpatients diagnosed with SUDs and exposed to drugs early, a comparison group of non-exposed inpatients and a group of non-exposed youth without SUDs. A neuropsychological battery (Esame Neuropsicologico Breve-2), an assessment procedure for personality disorders (Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200) and the Symptom CheckList-90-Revised were administered. According to present preliminary results, young drug addicts exposed to drugs during their developmental age were characterized by elevated rates of neuropsychological impairments, especially at the expense of attentive and executive functions (EF); personality disorders were also common but did not differentiate them from non-exposed youth with SUDs. Alternative multi-focused prevention and intervention programs are needed for children of drug-misusing parents, addressing EF and adopting a trauma-focused approach.openParolin, Micol; Simonelli, Alessandra; Mapelli, Daniela; Sacco, M.; Cristofalo, P.Parolin, Micol; Simonelli, Alessandra; Mapelli, Daniela; Sacco, M.; Cristofalo, P

Early Child Development in Social Context: A Chartbook

Reviews more than 30 key indicators of health and development for children up to age 6, as well as social factors in families and communities that affect these outcomes. Offers practical suggestions for health practitioners and parents

La paternité dans un contexte de consommation maternelle abusive d’alcool et de drogues

Malgré un nombre important d’études relatives à la thématique Parentalité alcool et drogue, le rôle du partenaire/père des mères consommatrices a été négligé. Le matériel présenté dans cet article est tiré d’une étude qualitative québécoise menée auprès de 20 pères et de 20 parturientes consommatrices abusives de SPA rencontrés à deux moments. Le but est de présenter le profil sociodémographique des parents, la consommation des mères dans les mois précédant la naissance de l’enfant, la consommation passée et actuelle des pères ainsi que certains éléments-clés de l’expérience parentale et conjugale des pères en contexte de consommation maternelle et de la trajectoire de consommation parentale.Despite a significant number of studies dealing with the theme of Parenthood, alcohol and drugs, the role of the paternal partner of consumer mothers has been neglected. The material presented in this article is taken from a Quebec qualitative study involving twenty fathers and twenty parturients with psychoactive substance abuse problems, and covers meetings with them at two different times. Our objective is to provide a sociodemographic profile of the parents, of maternal consumption in the pre-natal months, of previous and current paternal consumption levels, together with a number of key elements associated with the parental and conjugal experience of the fathers, both in the context of maternal consumption and of the parental consumer pattern

Father’s Contributions to Housework and Childcare and Parental Aggravation Among First-Time Parents

This study investigated the associations between fathers’ contributions to housework and childcare and both spouses’ parenting aggravation. It was hypothesized that greater father contributions to domestic labor would be associated with more paternal aggravation but less maternal aggravation. Data are from a four-wave study of 178 married couples undergoing the transition to first parenthood. Dyadic growth-curve models revealed gender differences in aggravation trajectories over the first year of the child’s life. Fathers were higher in initial aggravation but mothers’ aggravation grew at a faster rate over time. The primary hypothesis was only partially supported. Fathers’ contributions to childcare were associated with significantly lower maternal aggravation levels, but only among more religious mothers. Child fussiness and unpredictability were consistently significant predictors of higher aggravation for both parents. Depressive symptomatology was positively related to aggravation for fathers, whereas love for the spouse was associated with lower aggravation for mothers, controlling for other factors

A family perspective for substance abuse: Implications from the literature.

This paper calls for researchers and treatment providers to increase their recognition of the role that family and family functioning has for understanding the incidence and impact of substance abuse. Substance abuse is identified as a family problem by exploring its occurrence within families as well as its impact on marital relationship, family violence, and child abuse and neglect. The impact of substance abuse on the roles of spouses and parents are examined, as is the impact of substance abuse on children at various developmental stages. The role of the family as participant in active substance abuse as well as a valuable treatment resource is also explored. Finally, the authors present recommendations for increasing the focus on family in substance abuse research

Etiology of Teen Dating Violence among Adolescent Children of Alcoholics

Family processes in early life have been impli- cated in adolescent involvement in teen dating violence, yet the developmental pathways through which this occurs are not well understood. In this study, etiological pathways from parental psychopathology and marital conflict in infancy to involvement in dating violence in late adoles- cence were examined in a sample of children at high-risk due to parental alcohol problems. Families (N = 227) recruited when the child was 12 months of age were assessed at 12-, 24-, 36-months, kindergarten, 6th, 8th, and 12th grades. Slightly more than half of the children were female (51%) and the majority were of European American descent (91%). Parental psychopathology in infancy was indirectly associated with teen dating violence in late adolescence via low maternal warmth and self-regulation in early childhood, externalizing behavior from kindergarten to early adolescence, and sibling problems in middle childhood. Marital conflict was also indirectly associated with teen dating violence via child externalizing behavior. Maternal warmth and sensitivity in early childhood emerged as an important protective factor and was associated with reduced marital conflict and increased child self-regulation in the preschool years as well as increased parental monitoring in middle childhood and early adolescence. Family processes occurring in the preschool years and in middle childhood appear to be critical periods for creating condi- tions that contribute to dating violence risk in late adoles- cence. These findings underscore the need for early intervention and prevention with at-risk families

The Influence of Caregiver Mental Health On Parenting Focused Intervention Service Utilization and Parenting Behavior Change

Parenting focused interventions to address child maltreatment are a widely used tool for caregivers, and many have shown promising results for reducing child maltreatment risk and recidivism. Parenting focused intervention utilization and changes in parenting behaviors are two important variables that are needed for positive outcomes for caregivers and children. Without service utilization and engagement, caregivers cannot benefit from parenting focused interventions. Likewise, barriers to skill uptake while enrolled in parenting focused intervention, further impede the achievement of reductions in child maltreatment risk and recidivism. Caregiver depression, substance use, and trauma exposure are established risk factors for the perpetration of child maltreatment. Caregivers with these mental health risk factors are often referred to parenting services and mental health services at the same time. It is not well understood how caregiver mental health risk impacts utilization and effectiveness of parenting interventions, or how simultaneous involvement may affect parenting behaviors. The manuscripts included in this dissertation focus on how caregiver mental health risk factors (i.e., depression, substance use, and trauma exposure) impacts use of and benefit from parenting focused interventions. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to examine various facets of this relationship, across three levels of child maltreatment risk. To this end, the goals of each individual manuscript were: (1) to understand how caregiver mental health factors influence service utilization and changes in child abuse potential in a prevention sample of first time mothers enrolled in an early intervention home visiting program; (2) to examine how caregiver mental health impacts parenting focused intervention use and parenting behavior change in a nationally representative CPS-involved sample; and (3) to assess how receipt of mental health services impacts child maltreatment parenting program completion and parenting behavior change among a high risk sample of caregivers enrolled in an evidence based behavioral parenting program. When taken as a whole, the findings from each study suggest that when intervening directly with caregivers to address child maltreatment from a prevention or intervention standpoint, it is important to consider caregiver mental health, as it can influence both utilization and changes in parenting behaviors

EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF PARENT EDUCATION: A PROGRAM EVALUATION OF THE FAMILY CENTER

The maltreatment of children continues to be a matter of public concern in the community. As a result, there is a growing interest in the importance of evidence-based intervention to assist parents acquire more appropriate parenting skills. This research evaluates the effectiveness of the Nurturing Parenting Program which is offered through The Family Center in the Middle Tennessee region. Using secondary data provided by 903 program participants, the study explored the risks factors for positive parenting based on the Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory-2. Based on participants from three distinct locations (community, local jails, and drug treatment facilities), findings suggest that the program was successful in lowering the overall risk for child abuse for participants. However, non-white, older parents, single parents, and those with less than high school education face more challenges in overcoming child maltreatment tendencies.M.A