information for practice

news, new scholarship & more from around the world


advanced search

Perceived Child Behavior Problems, Parenting Stress, and Maternal Depressive Symptoms Among Prenatal Methamphetamine Users

Abstract  

The present study was designed to examine parenting stress, maternal depressive symptoms, and perceived child behavior problems
among mothers who used methamphetamine (MA) during pregnancy. Participants were a subsample (n = 212; 75 exposed, 137 comparison) of biological mothers who had continuous custody of their child from birth to 36 months.
The subsample was drawn from a larger, ongoing longitudinal study on the effects of prenatal methamphetamine exposure (n = 412; 204 exposed, 208 comparison) (Arria et al in Matern Child Health J 10:293–302 2006). Mothers who used MA during pregnancy reported more parenting stress and more depressive symptoms than a matched comparison
group. There were no differences between groups on perceived child behavior problems. In a hierarchical linear model, depressive
symptoms, and perceived child behavior problems, but not MA exposure, were statistically significant predictors of parenting
stress. Screening for potential parenting problems among mothers with a history of substance abuse is warranted. Parenting
interventions targeting depressive symptoms, parenting stress, and child behavior problems are needed for this population.

  • Content Type Journal Article
  • Category Original Article
  • Pages 1-15
  • DOI 10.1007/s10578-012-0305-2
  • Authors
    • Brandi D. Liles, Department of Psychology, University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104-3189, USA
    • Elana Newman, Department of Psychology, University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104-3189, USA
    • Linda L. LaGasse, Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Women and Infant’s Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
    • Chris Derauf, Department of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
    • Rizwan Shah, Blank Hospital, Regional Child Protection Center-Children-Iowa Health, Des Moines, IA, USA
    • Lynne M. Smith, LABioMed Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
    • Amelia M. Arria, Center on Young Adult Health and Development, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD, USA
    • Marilyn A. Huestis, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
    • William Haning, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
    • Arthur Strauss, Miller Children’s Hospital at Long Beach (MCHLB), Long Beach, CA, USA
    • Sheri DellaGrotta, Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Women and Infant’s Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
    • Lynne M. Dansereau, Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Women and Infant’s Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
    • Charles Neal, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
    • Barry M. Lester, Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Women and Infant’s Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA