The role of psychopathology in the parenting of drug-dependent women

This paper explores the parenting of drug-dependent women and the contribut ions of comorbid psychopathology to their parenting. A sample of 32 childre n whose mothers were dependent on opioid drugs during pregnancy and 37 chil dren whose mothers were not drug users were followed from birth to middle c hildhood. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted contrasting wheth er maternal substance abuse or psychopathology was more closely linked to p arenting behaviors and continuity in parenting over time: Maternal drug dep endence was related to whether mothers were able to remain primary caregive rs for their children over time, even after controlling for psychopathology . Maternal drug use was related to unresponsive and negative parenting beha vior during mother-infant interaction, but this relation was largely accoun ted for by the effects of comorbid maternal psychopathology on parenting, p articularly symptoms of antisocial and related personality disorders. For t hose children whose mothers continued to care for them into middle childhoo d, perceptions of their mothers as rejecting were related to maternal antis ocial personality and maternal depression. Substance-abuse treatment for wo men should be integrated with interventions addressing their mental health and parenting needs.