Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Longitudinal Development of Mother–Infant Interaction During the First Year of Life Among Mothers with Substance Abuse and Psychiatric Problems and Their Infants

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Child Psychiatry & Human Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The quality of mother–infant interaction during the first year may be hampered by maternal substance abuse and co-existing non-optimal factors such as psychiatric problems and difficult relational experiences. In the present study three groups of women were recruited during pregnancy: One group with substance abuse problems from residential treatment centers (n = 28), a second group from psychiatric outpatient treatment centers (n = 22), and a third group from well-baby clinics (n = 30). Four maternal optimality indexes were assessed (substance abuse, psychiatric problems, relational experiences and SES). Mother–infant interaction was observed at 3 and 12 months. The substance abuse group showed the most disturbed mother–infant interaction at 12 months. Low maternal optimality as well as impairments in maternal affective involvement at 3 months influenced negatively both on infant and dyadic affective behavior in interaction at 12 months. Long-term interventions are needed to promote affective reciprocity among mother–baby pairs with low optimality.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Stern DN (1985) The interpersonal world of the infant: a view from psychoanalysis and developmental psychology. Basic Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  2. Stern DN (2003) Spedbarnets interpersonlige verden [The interpersonal world of the infant]. Gyldendal akademisk, Oslo

    Google Scholar 

  3. Schore AN (2001) Effects of a secure attachment relationship on right brain development, affect regulation, and infant mental health. Infant Ment Health J 22(1–2):7–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Siegel DJ (1999) The developing mind: toward a neurobiology of interpersonal experience. Guilford Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  5. Siegel DJ (2001) Toward an interpersonal neurobiology of the developing mind: attachment relationships, “mindsight”, and neural integration. Infant Ment Health J 22(1–2):67–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Markova G (2006) Contingency, imitation, and affect sharing: foundations of infants’ social awareness. Dev Psychol 42(1):132–141

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Tronick EZ (1989) Emotions and emotional communication in infants. Am Psychol 44(2):112–119

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Amaro H, Zuckerman B, Cabral H (1989) Drug use among adolescent mothers: profile of risk. Pediatrics 84(1):144–151

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Van Ijzendoorn MH (1992) Intergenerational transmission of parenting: a review of studies in nonclinical populations. Dev Rev 12(1):76–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Mayes LC, Truman SD (2002) Substance abuse and parenting. In: Bornstein MH (ed) Handbook of parenting. Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ, pp 329–359

    Google Scholar 

  11. Espinosa M, Beckwith L, Howard J, Tyler R, Swanson K (2001) Maternal psychopathology and attachment in toddlers of heavy cocaine-using mothers. Infant Ment Health J 22(3):316–333

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Hans SL, Bernstein VJ, Henson LG (1999) The role of psychopathology in the parenting of drug-dependent women. Dev Psychopathol 11(04):957–977

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Luthar SS, Cushing G, Merikangas KR, Rounsaville BJ (1998) Multiple jeopardy: risk and protective factors among addicted mothers’ offspring. Dev Psychopathol 10(01):117–136

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Weissman MM, McAvay G, Goldstein RB, Nunes EV, Verdeli H, Wickramaratne PJ (1999) Risk/protective factors among addicted mothers’ offspring: a replication study. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 25(4):661–679

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Burns K, Chethik L, Burns WJ, Clark R (1991) Dyadic disturbances in cocaine-abusing mothers and their infants. J Clin Psychol 47(2):316–319

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Pajulo M (2011) Substance abusing mothers in residential treatment with their babies: postnatal psychiatric symptomatology and its association with mother-child relationship and later need for child protection actions. Nord J Psychiatry 65(1):65

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Bergin C, McCollough P (2009) Attachment in substance-exposed toddlers: the role of caregiving and exposure. Infant Ment Health J 30(4):407–423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Hans SL (2002) Studies of prenatal exposure to drugs: focusing on parental care of children. Neurotoxicol Teratol 24(3):329–337

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Burns KA, Chethik L, Burns WJ, Clark R (1997) The early relationship of drug abusing mothers and their infants: an assessment at eight to twelve months of age. J Clin Psychol 53(3):279–287

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Eiden RD (2001) Maternal substance use and mother–infant feeding interactions. Infant Ment Health J 22(4):497–511

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Mayes LC, Feldman R, Granger RH, Haynes OM, Bornstein MH, Schottenfeld R (1997) The effects of polydrug use with and without cocaine on mother–infant interaction at 3 and 6 months. Infant Behav Dev 20(4):489–502

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Savonlahti E (2005) Interactive skills of infants with their high-risk mothers. Nord J Psychiatry 59(2):139

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Beeghly M, Tronick EZ (1994) Effects of prenatal exposure to cocaine in early infancy: toxic effects on the process of mutual regulation. Infant Ment Health J 15(2):158–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Eiden RD, McAuliffe S, Kachadourian L, Coles C, Colder C, Schuetze P (2009) Effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on infant reactivity and regulation. Neurotoxicol Teratol 31(1):60–68

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Eiden RD, Schuetze P, Coles CD (2011) Maternal cocaine use and mother–infant interactions: direct and moderated associations. Neurotoxicol Teratol 33(1):120–128

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Molitor A, Mayes LC, Ward A (2003) Emotion regulation behavior during a separation procedure in 18-month-old children of mothers using cocaine and other drugs. Dev Psychopathol 15(01):39–54

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Pajulo M, Savonlahti E, Sourander A, Ahlqvist S, Helenius H, Piha J (2001) An early report on the mother–baby interactive capacity of substance-abusing mothers. J Subst Abuse Treat 20(2):143–151

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Salo S, Politi J, Tupola S, Biringen Z, Kalland M, Halmesmäki E et al (2010) Early development of opioid-exposed infants born to mothers in buprenorphine-replacement therapy. J Reprod Infant Psychol 28(2):161–179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Luthar SS (2003) Maternal drug abuse versus other psychological disturbances: risks and resilience among children. In: Luthar SS (ed) Resilience and vulnerability: adaptation in the context of childhood adversities. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 105–129

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  30. Mäntymaa M (2006) Mother’s early perception of her infant’s difficult temperament, parenting stress and early mother-infant interaction. Nord J Psychiatry 60(5):379

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Field T (1995) Infants of depressed mothers. Infant Behav Dev 18(1):1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Murray L, Fiori-Cowley A, Hooper R, Cooper P (1996) The impact of postnatal depression and associated adversity on early mother-infant interactions and later infant outcome. Child Dev 67(5):2512–2526

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Weinberg M, Tronick EZ (1998) The impact of maternal psychiatric illness on infant development. J Clin Psychiatry 59(Suppl 2):53–61

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Suchman NE, McMahon TJ, Slade A, Luthar SS (2005) How early bonding, depression, illicit drug use, and perceived support work together to influence drug-dependent mothers’ caregiving. Am J Orthopsychiatry 75(3):431–445

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Luthar SS, Walsh KG (1995) Treatment needs of drug-addicted mothers: integrated parenting psychotherapy interventions. J Subst Abuse Treat 12(5):341–348

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Suchman NE, DeCoste C, Mayes LC (2009) The mothers and toddlers program: an attachment-based intervention for mothers in substance abuse treatment. In: Zeanah CH (ed) Handbook of infant mental health. Guilford Press, New York, pp 485–499

    Google Scholar 

  37. Suchman NE, Decoste C, McMahon TJ, Rounsaville B, Mayes L (2011) The mothers and toddlers program, an attachment-based parenting intervention for substance-using women: results at 6-week follow-up in a randomized clinical pilot. Infant Ment Health J 32(4):427–449

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Hoff E, Laursen B, Tardif T (2002) Socioeconomic status and parenting. In: Bornstein MH (ed) Handbook of parenting. Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ, pp 231–252

    Google Scholar 

  39. Prechtl HF (1980) The optimality concept. Early Hum Dev 4(3):201–205

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Murphy PA, Fullerton JT (2001) Measuring outcomes of midwifery care: development of an instrument to assess optimality. J Midwifery Womens Health 46(5):274–281

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Perat MV (1993) The optimality concept and its clinical value. Early Hum Dev 34(1–2):133–141

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Seng JS, Mugisha E, Miller JM (2008) Reliability of a perinatal outcomes measure: the optimality index–US. J Midwifery Womens Health 53(2):110–114

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Wiegers TA, Keirse MJNC, Berghs GAH, van der Zee J (1996) An approach to measuring quality of midwifery care. J Clin Epidemiol 49(3):319–325

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Siqveland T, Smith L, Moe V (2012) The impact of optimality on maternal sensitivity in mothers with substance abuse and psychiatric problems and their infants at 3 months. Infant Behav Dev 35(1):60–70

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Rutter M (1979) Protective factors in children’s responses to stress and disadvantage. Ann Acad Med Singapore 8(3):324–338

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Sameroff AJ (1998) Environmental risk factors in infancy. Pediatrics 102(Suppl E1):1287–1292

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Sameroff AJ, Seifer R, Baldwin A, Baldwin C (1993) Stability of intelligence from preschool to adolescence: the influence of social and family risk factors. Child Dev 64(1):80–97

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Campbell SB, Brownell CA, Hungerford A, Spieker SJ, Mohan R, Blessing JS (2004) The course of maternal depressive symptoms and maternal sensitivity as predictors of attachment security at 36 months. Dev Psychopathol 16(02):231–252

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Kokkevi A, Hartgers C (1995) EuropASI: European adaptation of a multidimensional assessment instrument for drug and alcohol dependence. Eur Addict Res 1:208–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. McLellan AT, Kushner H, Metzger D, Peters R, Smith I, Grissom G et al (1992) The fifth edition of the addiction severity index. J Subst Abuse Treat 9(3):199–213

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Carise D, McLellan AT, Cacciola J, Love M, Cook T, Bovasso G et al (2001) Suggested specifications for a standardized addiction severity index database. J Subst Abuse Treat 20(3):239–244

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Lauritzen G, Nøkleby H (2010) EuropASI addiction severity index, European adaptation of the 5th American edition. SIRUS, Unpublished

  53. Millon T, Millon C, Davis R, Grossman Z (1997) Millon clinical multiaxial inventory-III: MCMI-III 3rd ed. National Computer Systems, Minneapolis, MN

    Google Scholar 

  54. Derogatis LR, Lipman RS, Rickels K, Uhlenhuth E, Covi L (1974) The Hopkins symptom checklist (HSCL): a self-report symptom inventory. Behav Sci 19(1):1–15

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Strand B (2003) Measuring the mental health status of the Norwegian population: a comparison of the instruments SCL-25, SCL-10, SCL-5 and MHI-5 (SF-36). Nord J Psychiatry 57(2):113

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. Prechtl HFR (1977) The neurological examination of the full term newborn infant: a manual for clinical use from the Department of Developmental Neurology, University of Groningen. Spastics International Medical Publ., London

  57. Karlsson H, Joukamaa M, Lehtinen V (2000) Differences between patients with identified and not identified psychiatric disorders in primary care. Acta Psychiatr Scand 102(5):354–358

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  58. Nygård J, Klungsøyr O, Sandanger I, Svensson E (2009) Selection effects in psychiatric epidemiology. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 44(10):881–886

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Burchinal M (2000) Cumulative risk and early cognitive development: a comparison of statistical risk models. Dev Psychol 36(6):793–807

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  60. Clark R (2006) The parent-child early relational assessment. University of Wisconsin Medical School Madison

  61. Clark R (1999) The parent-child early relational assessment: a factorial validity study. Educ Psychol Meas 59(5):821

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. Field TM (1984) Early interactions between infants and their postpartum depressed mothers. Infant Behav Dev 7(4):517–522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Siqveland TS, Olafsen KS, Moe V (2013) The influence of maternal optimality and infant temperament on parenting stress at 12 months among mothers with substance abuse and psychiatric problems. Scand J Psychol 54(5):353–362

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  64. Hans SL (1992) Maternal opioid drug use and child development. In: Zagon IS, Slotkin TA (eds) Maternal substance abuse and the developing nervous system. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 177–213

    Google Scholar 

  65. Moe V, Slinning K (2002) Prenatal drug exposure and the conceptualization of long-term effects. Scand J Psychol 43(1):41–47

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  66. Pajulo M, Pyykkönen N, Kalland M, Sinkkonen J, Helenius H, Punamäki R-L et al (2012) Substance-abusing mothers in residential treatment with their babies: importance of pre- and postnatal maternal reflective functioning. Infant Ment Health J 33(1):70–81

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  67. Guedeney A (2007) Withdrawal behavior and depression in infancy. Infant Ment Health J 28(4):393–408

    Article  Google Scholar 

  68. Kemppinen K (2006) Recurrent and transient depressive symptoms around delivery and maternal sensitivity. Nord J Psychiatry 60(3):191

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  69. Korja R, Savonlahti E, Ahlqvist-Bjorkroth S, Stolt S, Haataja L, Lapinleimu H et al (2008) Maternal depression is associated with mother-infant interaction in preterm infants. Acta Paediatr 97(6):724–730

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  70. Field T (1990) Behavior-state matching and synchrony in mother-infant interactions of nondepressed versus depressed dyads. Dev Psychol 26(1):7–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  71. Belsky J, Fish M, Isabella RA (1991) Continuity and discontinuity in infant negative and positive emotionality: family antecedents and attachment consequences. Dev Psychol 27(3):421–431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  72. Pluess M (2010) Differential susceptibility to parenting and quality child care. Dev Psychol 46(2):379–390

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  73. Papoušek M (2008) Disorders of behavioral and emotional regulation: clinical evidence for a new diagnostic concept. In: Papoušek M, Schieche M, Wurmser H, Kronenberg K (eds) Disorders of behavioral and emotional regulation in the first years of life: early risks and intervention in the developing parent-infant relationship. Zero to Three, Washington, DC, pp 53–84

    Google Scholar 

  74. Main M, Goldwyn R, Hesse E (2002) Adult attachment scoring and classification systems

  75. Zeanah CH, Boris NW, Heller SS, Hinshaw-Fuselier S, Larrieu JA, Lewis M et al (1997) Relationship assessment in infant mental health. Infant Ment Health J 18(2):182–197

    Article  Google Scholar 

  76. Boris NW (2009) Parental substance abuse. In: Zeanah CH (ed) Handbook of infant mental health. Guilford Press, New York, p XVII, 622 s. : ill

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Norwegian Research Council and the National Network for Infant Mental Health in Norway, Regional Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway. We are grateful to the parents and the children who participated in the study. We would also like to thank our collaborators at different treatment institutions for pregnant women with substance abuse and psychiatric problems in Norway.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Forskningsveien 3a, 0317, Oslo, Norway

    Torill S. Siqveland & Vibeke Moe

  2. National Network for Infant Mental Health in Norway, Regional Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway, Gullhaugveien 1-3, 0484, Oslo, Norway

    Vibeke Moe

Authors
  1. Torill S. Siqveland
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Vibeke Moe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Torill S. Siqveland.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Siqveland, T.S., Moe, V. Longitudinal Development of Mother–Infant Interaction During the First Year of Life Among Mothers with Substance Abuse and Psychiatric Problems and Their Infants. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 45, 408–421 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-013-0411-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-013-0411-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation