The effect of parenting stress on child behavior problems in high-risk children with prenatal drug exposure

Daniel M. Bagner, Stephen J. Sheinkopf, Cynthia Miller-Loncar, Linda L. LaGasse, Barry M. Lester, Jing Liu, Charles R. Bauer, Seetha Shankaran, Henrietta Bada, Abhik Das

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

53 Scopus citations

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)73-84
Number of pages12
JournalChild Psychiatry and Human Development
Volume40
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2009

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
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).

Funding

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).

FundersFunder number
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentU10 HD 27904, U10 HD 27856, U10 HD 21385, U10 HD 21397, HD 23159, U10 HD 19897
Administration for Children and Families
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

    Keywords

    • Cocaine
    • Disruptive behavior
    • High-risk children
    • Parenting stress
    • Prenatal drug exposure

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
    • Developmental and Educational Psychology
    • Psychiatry and Mental health

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