Relationship Between Child Behavior Problems, Parental Stress, Child Abuse Potential, and Substance Use Among Mothers in the Child Welfare System

摘要

Substance abuse, elevated levels of child behavior problems, and high stress are common among mothers who maltreat their children. However, there is a dearth of research that investigates variables associated with specific types of maltreatment, such as child neglect. Complicating matters, contradictory results between studies have been found among the available research. The present study extends research in this area by investigating the relationships between substance abuse, child behavior problems, parental stress, and child abuse potential in a sample of neglectful mothers with co-occurring substance use disorders. A model is proposed in which parental stress mediates the relationship between child behavior problems and child maltreatment potential. Substance use severity was hypothesized to be predictive of child maltreatment potential. A series of regression analyses were conducted to test the proposed model. Implications and limitations of the present study are discussed.