Parenting stress and competence among mothers of young children with substance use disorders: The roles of trauma and reflective functioning

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress symptoms are prominent in the lives of parents of young children with substance use disorders (SUD). Parenting experiences, particularly stress and competence, impact parenting behaviors and concomitant child growth and development. Factors that promote positive experiences of parenting, such as parental reflective functioning (PRF), and protect the mother and child from negative outcomes are crucial to understand to develop effective therapeutic interventions. The current US study analyzed baseline data from a parenting intervention evaluation to examine how length of substance misuse, PRF, and trauma symptoms were associated with parenting stress and parenting sense of competence among mothers in treatment for SUDs. Measures included the Addiction Severity Index, PTSD Symptom Scale‐Self Report, Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, Parenting Stress Index/Short Form, and Parenting Sense of Competence Scale. The sample included 54 predominantly White mothers with SUDs who had young children. Two multivariate regression analyses found that (1) lower parental reflective functioning and higher posttraumatic stress symptoms were associated with higher parenting stress, and (2) only higher posttraumatic stress symptoms were associated with lower levels of parenting sense of competence. Findings underscore the importance of addressing trauma symptoms and PRF when aiming to improve parenting experiences for women with an SUD.

Navigating foster care: how parental drug use and caregiver attitudes shape children’s mentalization processes—an exploratory longitudinal follow-up study: study protocol

“…According to Suchman et al (2020), cited in Paris et al (2023), to the implementation of mentalization based approaches in research and practice of SUD patients treatment is still missing. Initial findings from our research indicate that certain institutional foster caregivers exhibit low levels of mentalization capacity.…”

Reframing caring for parents who struggle with substance‐use disorders

“…The paper by Paris et al (2023) illustrates how Suchman's theoretical work brought together mentalization perspectives with a deep appreciation for the role of trauma and adversity in the life course of an addicted parent.…”

“…The paper by Paris et al. (2023) illustrates how Suchman's theoretical work brought together mentalization perspectives with a deep appreciation for the role of trauma and adversity in the life course of an addicted parent. Understanding that substance use and misuse are often the outcomes of multiple adverse childhood experiences impacting adults capacity to adaptively regulate stress and negative emotions is a fundamentally different approach to understanding and treating substance use.…”

Enhancing parental reflective functioning: A special tribute to the life and work of Nancy E. Suchman, PhD

“…In the basic science section , Ruth Paris and her colleagues (2023) discuss how duration of substance misuse, trauma symptoms, and capacity for parental reflective functioning are associated with parenting stress and parenting sense of competence. Helena Rutherford and her associates (2023) examine the associations between parental reflective functioning and depression in women during pregnancy and postpartum period.…”