Mental health articles

Effects of Substance Abuse on Parenting
Studies show that substance abusing mothers tend to have more problematic interactions with their children throughout their childhood and into adolescence compared to non-substance abusing mothers.Bonding, mutual arousal/enthusiasm, and ego development in early maternal–infant interactions can be negatively affected by the substance abuse .As children progress to school-age, addicted mothers are frequently
less emotionally involved and have poorer parenting attitudes than non-addicted mothers.Their parenting practices can dramatically swing from one extreme to another, from increased failure to set
limits to punitive, threatening disciplinary measures.They have an increased tendency to use an authoritarian type of discipline with greater potential for child abuse than their non-addicted cohorts .
Parenting capabilities of mothers with substance disorders are not significantly different than other non-using mothers with similar life circumstances such as poverty, trauma, or oppression. Addicted mothers
often have limited parenting knowledge and misconceptions about parenting practices. Many mothers in substance treatment programs
show concern about their parenting abilities and express a desire to increase their level of competency, confidence, and satisfaction in their parenting. This suggests that substance abusing mothers have the capacity for good parenting that the substance abuse interferes with, particularly as the addiction progresses. As the addicted mother becomes increasingly preoccupied with her drug use, her physical and emotional health deteriorate, money and resources that could support her children are re-prioritized to her drug habit, and she is less available for her children on all levels. Gradually the daily activities and responsibilities of parenting fall away. Despite this, research has shown that addicted mothers highly value their parental role, continue to love their children, and seek reunification if separated. They often feel guilty that they
are not meeting their children’s or their own expectations of themselves as parents.

Tags: substance abuse