Parenting Efficacy and Support in Mothers With Dual Disorders in a Substance Abuse Treatment Program

Abstract

Objective Approximately 73% of women entering treatment for substance use disorders are mothers of children under the age of 18 (SAMHSA, 2009), and the high rate of mental health disorders among mothers with substance use disorders increases their vulnerability to poor parenting practices. Parenting efficacy and social support for parenting have emerged as significant predictors of positive parenting practices among families at risk for child maltreatment. The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of parenting support and parenting efficacy on the likelihood of out-of-home placement and custody status among the children of mothers with dual substance use and mental health disorders. Methods This study examined the impact of parenting efficacy, and assistance with child-care on the likelihood of child out-of-home placement and custody status among 175 mothers diagnosed with a dual substance and mental health disorder and in treatment for substance dependence. Logistic regression was utilized to assess the contributions of parenting efficacy, and the number of individuals in mothers’ social networks who assist with child-care, to the likelihood of out-of-home placement and custody loss of children. Parenting efficacy was also examined as a mediator using bootstrapping in PROCESS for SPSS. Results Greater parenting efficacy was associated with lower likelihood of having at least one child in out-of-home placement (B = −.064, SE =.029, p = .027), and lower likelihood of loss of child custody (B = −.094, SE =.034, p = .006). Greater number of children in the 6–18 age range predicted greater likelihood of having at least one child in the custody of someone else (B = .409, SE = .171, p = .017) and in out-of-home placement (B = .651, SE = .167, p < .001). Additionally, mothers who identified as African-American were less likely to have a child in out-of-home placement (B = .927, SE = .382, p = .015) or to have lost custody of a child (B = −1.31, SE = .456, p = .004). Finally, parenting efficacy mediated the relationship between parenting support and likelihood of out-of-home placement (Effect = −.0604, SE = .0297, z = 2.035, p = .042), and between parenting support and likelihood of custody loss (Effect = −.0332, SE = .0144, z = −2.298, p = .022). Conclusion Implications for practice include the utilization of personal network interventions, such as increased assistance with child-care, and increased attention to efficacy among mothers with dual disorders.

Examining barriers to harm reduction and child welfare services for pregnant women and mothers who use substances using a stigma action framework

“…Another study noted that women were 'branded' as uncaring or abusive as a result of substance use, which impacted how women were able to engage with child welfare services (Baskin et al, 2015). Studies that described negative stereotypes and societal shame related to substance use during pregnancy (Baskin et al, 2015;Carlson et al, 2006;Kenny & Barrington, 2018;Smith, 2002;Taylor & Kroll, 2004) and mental health challenges (Brown et al, 2016;Carlson et al, 2008;Henry et al, 2018;Lean et al, 2013;Marcenko et al, 2011;Marshall et al, 2011;Smith & Testa, 2002) highlighted the impacts of the shame rather than the norms and stereotypes themselves.…”

“…Several discriminatory laws and policies were described in the literature. Policies that dictate the length of time that a child could be placed in foster care before parental rights are terminated (Carlson, 2006;Carlson et al, 2008;He et al, 2014;Kenny & Barrington, 2018) or where non-compliance results in jail time (He et al, 2014) have lasting impacts on women's self-efficacy (Brown et al, 2016;Kenny & Barrington, 2018), confidence in their ability to parent (Carlson et al, 2008;Kenny & Barrington, 2018), and their willingness to seek support. Colonial policies further reinforced historical and intergenerational trauma, which were found to lead to multigenerational involvement with, and mistrust of, the child welfare system (Baskin et al, 2015).…”

“…At the individual level, group-based programmes and supports can reduce internalized stigma and improve the well-being of individuals by strengthening coping skills, building social support and increasing self-efficacy (Brown et al, 2016;Tam, 2019). In support groups, women are encouraged to share information in a safe environment and build networks inclusive of others who are also working to reduce their substance use .…”

Mothers’ Self-Efficacy for Preventing Diarrhea in Children Under 5 Years

“…Mothers' self-efficacy depends upon their knowledge of child care strategies that are developmentally appropriate to the child, confidence in their own abilities to execute those strategies, and a belief that their children will respond to this strategy in the manner desired by the mother [7] .…”

Trauma-Informed Parenting Education Support Groups for Mothers in Substance Abuse Recovery

“…Research indicates that elevated social support and parental empowerment were related to an increased sense of parenting competency for prenatal women with SUDs; increased parent empowerment served as the stronger influence for predicting parenting self-efficacy (Chou et al, 2018). Among a sample of low-income mothers with co-occurring SUDs and mental health issues, the majority of whom were African American having a greater belief in their parenting capacity was associated with a lower chance of their children being placed in foster care or experiencing loss of child custody (S. Brown et al, 2016).…”