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

Abstract

Parental Substance Use Disorder (SUD) constitutes a high-risk condition for parent-child interactions and child development. Empirical evidence indicates high rates of psychopathology and neuropsychological impairments in individuals with SUD. Despite research indicating that parenting skills are related to psychological well-being and cognitive/neuropsychological functioning, prior studies have not examined the associations between these areas of parental functioning and the quality of parent-child interactions in the context of SUD. Aim(s). The present study adopts an integrated perspective to investigate the way in which maternal neuropsychological functioning and psychopathology are associated with mother-child emotional availability (EA), in the context of parental Substance Use Disorder. Methods. Twenty-nine mothers with SUD were assessed in interaction with their children, as well as with respect to their neuropsychological functioning and psychopathology. Results. In this group, high rates of maternal neuropsychological impairments and psychopathology, as well as generally low levels of EA, were uncovered. Regression analyses showed that maternal neuropsychological functioning was significantly associated with mother-child EA, specifically sensitivity; the role of maternal psychopathology, however, was only marginally significant. Conclusion. In the context of SUD, maternal neuropsychological impairments are significantly associated with mother-child EA. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

A Comparative Study on Emotional Intelligence and Personality Traits Between Male Alcohol Dependents and Non-Alcoholic Males

“…As emotional intelligence differs across gender, age, educational and socio-economic status, the subjects and controls were matched accordingly. [8][9][10] Only males were thus chosen to avoid gender variations. 8 Revised Kuppuswamy classification was employed which included education as a component.…”

“…[8][9][10] Only males were thus chosen to avoid gender variations. 8 Revised Kuppuswamy classification was employed which included education as a component. The subjects and controls were matched and the interview for emotional intelligence was conducted.…”

“…This is similar to previous studies which dealt with addiction and emotional intelligence conducted worldwide and in India. [8][9][10] Among addiction, alcohol being the major burden of our region, we chose alcoholics alone. 6 The prevalence being 25% in our area, maximum population were belonging to middle and upper lower economic classes entering our tertiary care centre.…”

“…13 Also we derived that emotional intelligence showed a rising till middle age and became lower in older groups and was superior in higher educational strata. 8,[10][11][12] When it was a lower educational and economic status group the emotional intelligence scores did not much differ between the two groups. 13 This again goes by earlier studies that education plays a vital role in emotional intelligence.…”

Behavioural and epigenetic effects of paternal exposure to cannabinoids during adolescence on offspring vulnerability to stress

“…In humans, chronic cannabinoid exposure during adolescence has been associated with long-term structural and functional changes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and increased risk of developing On the other hand, the neurobiology of stress-related neuropsychiatric illness is complex, and the contributing problems are multifactorial (Lewis, 2017). Paternal exposure to drugs of abuse might present one of the contributing factors to stress associated disorders (Porreca et al, 2018). Indeed, recent works conducted on several animal and human generations has shown that the deleterious effects of drug abuse can pass down to subsequent generations through a transfer of epigenetic marks (Ajonijebu et al, 2017).…”