Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Effect of Parenting Stress on Child Behavior Problems in High-Risk Children with Prenatal Drug Exposure

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

Abstract

Objective To examine the relationship between early parenting stress and later child behavior in a high-risk sample and measure the effect of drug exposure on the relationship between parenting stress and child behavior. Methods A subset of child-caregiver dyads (n = 607) were selected from the Maternal Lifestyle Study (MLS), which is a large sample of children (n = 1,388) with prenatal cocaine exposure and a comparison sample unexposed to cocaine. Of the 607 dyads, 221 were prenatally exposed to cocaine and 386 were unexposed to cocaine. Selection was based on the presence of a stable caregiver at 4 and 36 months with no evidence of change in caregiver between those time points. Results Parenting stress at 4 months significantly predicted child externalizing behavior at 36 months. These relations were unaffected by cocaine exposure suggesting the relationship between parenting stress and behavioral outcome exists for high-risk children regardless of drug exposure history. Conclusions These results extend the findings of the relationship between parenting stress and child behavior to a sample of high-risk children with prenatal drug exposure. Implications for outcome and treatment are discussed.

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. Keenan K, Wakschlag LS (2002) Can a valid diagnosis of disruptive behavior disorder be made in preschool children? Am J Psychiatry 159:351–358. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.159.3.351

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Steiner H, Remsing L (2007) Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 46:126–141. doi:10.1097/01.chi.0000246060.62706.af

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Qi CH, Kaiser AP (2003) Behavior problems of preschool children from low-income families: a review of the literature. Top Early Child Spec Educ 23:188–216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Barry TD, Dunlap ST, Cotten SJ, Lochman JE, Wells KC (2005) The influence of maternal stress and distress on disruptive behavior problems in boys. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 44:265–273. doi:10.1097/00004583-200503000-00011

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Deater-Deckard K (1998) Parenting stress and child adjustment: some old hypotheses and new questions. Clin Psychol Res Prac 5:314–332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Conger RD, Patterson GR, Ge X (1995) It takes two to replicate: a mediational model for the impact of parents’ stress on adolescent adjustment. Child Dev 66:80–97. doi:10.2307/1131192

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Deater-Deckard K, Scarr S (1996) Parenting stress among dual-earner mother and fathers: are there gender differences? J Fam Psychol 10:45–59. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.10.1.45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Crnic KA, Gaze C, Hoffman C (2005) Cumulative parenting stress across the preschool period: relations to maternal parenting and child behavior at age 5. Infant Child Dev 14:117–132. doi:10.1002/icd.384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Anthony LG, Anthony BJ, Glanville DN, Naiman DQ, Waanders C, Shaffer S (2005) The relationship between parenting stress, parenting behavior, and preschoolers’ social competence and behaviour problems in the classroom. Infant Child Dev 14:133–154. doi:10.1002/icd.385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Kelley SJ (1998) Stress and coping behaviors of substance-abusing mothers. J Soc Pediatr Nurs 3:103–110

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Kettinger LA, Nair P, Schuler ME (2000) Exposure to environmental risk factors and parenting attitudes␣among substance-abusing women. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 26(1):1–11. doi:10.1081/ADA-100100586

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Nair P, Schuler ME, Black MM, Kettinger L, Harrington D (2003) Cumulative environmental risk in substance abusing women: early intervention, parenting stress, child abuse potential, and child development. Child Abuse Negl 27:997–1017. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(03)00169-8

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Hans SL, Bernstein VJ, Henson LG (1999) The role of psychopathology in the parenting of drug-dependent women. Dev Psychopathol 11:957–977. doi:10.1017/S0954579499002400

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Sheinkopf SJ, Lester BM, LaGasse LL etal (2006) Interactions between maternal characteristics and neonatal behavior in the prediction of parenting stress and perception of infant temperament. J Pediatr Psychol 31:27–40. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsj026

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Singer L, Arendt R, Farkas K, Minnes S, Huang J, Yamashita T (1997) Relationship of prenatal cocaine exposure and maternal postpartum psychological distress to child developmental outcome. Dev Psychopathol 9:473–489. doi:10.1017/S0954579497001259

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Brown JV, Bakeman R, Coles CD, Platzman KA, Lynch ME (2004) Prenatal cocaine exposure: a comparison of 2-year-old children in parental and nonparental care. Child Dev 75:1282–1295. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00739.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Accornero VH, Morrow CE, Bandstra ES, Johnson AL, Anthony JC (2002) Behavioral outcome of preschoolers exposed prenatally to cocaine: role of maternal behavioral health. J Pediatr Psychol 27:259–269. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/27.3.259

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Warner TD, Behnke M, Hou W, Garvan CW, Wobie K, Eyler FD (2006) Predicting caregiver-reported behavior problems in cocaine-exposed children at 3 years. J Dev Behav Pediatr 27:83–92. doi:10.1097/00004703-200604000-00001

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Tronick EZ, Beeghly M (1999) Prenatal cocaine exposure, child development, and the compromising effects of cumulative risk. Clin Perinatol 26:151–171

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Lester BM, ElSohly M, Wright LL etal (2001) The Maternal Lifestyle Study: drug use by meconium toxicology and maternal self-report. Pediatrics 107:309–317. doi:10.1542/peds.107.2.309

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Bauer CR, Shankaran S, Bada HS etal (2002) The Maternal Lifestyle Study: drug exposure during pregnancy and short-term maternal outcomes. Am J Obstet Gynecol 186:487–495. doi:10.1067/mob.2002.121073

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Lester BM, Tronick EZ, LaGasse L etal (2002) The maternal lifestyle study: effects of substance exposure during pregnancy on neurodevelopmental outcome in 1-month-old infants. Pediatrics 110:1182–1192. doi:10.1542/peds.110.6.1182

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Achenbach TM (1992) Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/2–3. University of Vermont. Department of Psychiatry, Burlington, VT

    Google Scholar 

  24. Abidin RR (1983) Parenting stress index. Pediatric Psychology Press, Charlottesville, VA

    Google Scholar 

  25. Rothbart MK (1981) Measurement of temperament in infancy. Child Dev 52:569–578. doi:10.2307/1129176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Bada HS, Das A, Bauer CR etal (2007) Impact of prenatal cocaine exposure on child behavior problems through school age. Pediatrics 119:348–359. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-1404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Belsky J, Woodworth S, Crnic K (1996) Trouble in the second year: three questions about family interaction. Child Dev 67:556–578. doi:10.2307/1131832

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Brestan EV, Eyberg SM (1998) Effective psychosocial treatments of conduct-disordered children and adolescents: 29 years, 82 studies, and 5, 272 kids. J Clin Child Psychol 27:180–189. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp2702_5

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Eyberg SM, Nelson MM, Boggs SR (2008) Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for children and adolescents with disruptive behavior. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 37:1–23. doi:10.1080/15374410701820117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Bagner DM, Eyberg SM (2007) Parent–child interaction therapy for disruptive behavior in children with mental retardation: a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 36:418–429

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. LaGasse LL, Seifer R, Lester BM (1999) Interpreting research on prenatal substance exposure in the context of multiple confounding factors. Clin Perinatol 26:39–54

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) through cooperative agreements (U10 HD 27904; U10 HD 21397; U10 HD 21385; U10 HD 27856; U10 HD 19897), NICHD contract HD 23159, Intra-agency agreements with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Women and Infants’ Hospital, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 101 Dudley Street, Providence, RI, 02905, USA

    Daniel M. Bagner, Stephen J. Sheinkopf, Cynthia Miller-Loncar, Linda L. LaGasse, Barry M. Lester & Jing Liu

  2. University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Charles R. Bauer

  3. Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA

    Seetha Shankaran

  4. University of Kentucky Hospital, Lexington, KY, USA

    Henrietta Bada

  5. Research Triangle Institute, Rockville, MD, USA

    Abhik Das

Authors
  1. Daniel M. Bagner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stephen J. Sheinkopf
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Cynthia Miller-Loncar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Linda L. LaGasse
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Barry M. Lester
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jing Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Charles R. Bauer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Seetha Shankaran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Henrietta Bada
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Abhik Das
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel M. Bagner.

Additional information

Portions of the data were previously presented at the 11th Annual Research Symposium on Mental Health Sciences, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI and at the 25th Annual Society for Developmental and Behavior Pediatrics Meeting in Providence, RI.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bagner, D.M., Sheinkopf, S.J., Miller-Loncar, C. et al. The Effect of Parenting Stress on Child Behavior Problems in High-Risk Children with Prenatal Drug Exposure. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 40, 73–84 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-008-0109-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-008-0109-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation