Attachment Theory and Maternal Drug Addiction: The Contribution to Parenting Interventions

Abstract

Children’s emotional and relational development can be negatively influenced by maternal substance abuse, particularly through a dysfunctional caregiving environment. Attachment Theory offers a privileged framework to analyze how drug addiction can affect the quality of adult attachment style, parenting attitudes and behaviors toward the child, and how it can have a detrimental effect on the co-construction of the attachment bond by the mother and the infant. Several studies, as a matter of fact, have identified a prevalence of insecure patterns among drug-abusing mothers and their children. Many interventions for mothers with Substance Use Disorders have focused on enhancing parental skills, but they have often overlooked the emotional and relational features of the mother–infant bond. Instead, in recent years, a number of protocols have been developed in order to strengthen the relationship between drug-abusing mothers and their children, drawing lessons from Attachment Theory. The present study reviews the literature on the adult and infant attachment style in the context of drug addiction, describing currently available treatment programs that address parenting and specifically focus on the mother–infant bond, relying on Attachment Theory.

Emotional Availability, Neuropsychological Functioning, and Psychopathology: The Context of Parental Substance Use Disorder

“…It is well-known that the executive functions are involved in the control and regulation of emotional and behavioral processes [ 12 ]. Empirical evidence demonstrates that individuals with SUD are more likely to exhibit neuropsychological impairments [ 20 , 42 ], including impairments in general intelligence and various executive functioning tasks [ 43 ], as well as neural abnormalities in frontal lobes, as indicated by imaging studies [ 44 , 45 ]. Furthermore, research indicates that parental EF could be transmitted through generations [ 46 , 47 ].…”

Opioid-Dependent Mothers in Medical Decision Making About Their Infants’ Treatment: Who Is Vulnerable and Why?

“…22 If the mother is perceived as a one-dimensional drug user, not only does she undergo unnecessary mistreatment as a parent, but this simplification also leaves out important aspects of the mother-child relationship and thus has implications for the infant's well-being as well. If, however, the mother and the child are considered as a dyad, these kinds of threats are preempted (Parolin & Simonelli, 2016).…”

Mothering under the influence: how perinatal drugs of abuse alter the mother-infant interaction

“…Substance abuse dampens maternal responsivity to infant distress by reducing the activation of brain areas that control for sensory and emotional processing (Landi et al, 2011). This weakens the salience and rewarding value of the infant cues, thus contributing to maladaptive parenting (Parolin and Simonelli, 2016).…”