Citation

Brown S, Resko S, Dayton CJ, Barron C. J. Interpers. Violence 2018; ePub(ePub): 886260518791234.

Affiliation

Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute, Detroit, MI, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260518791234

PMID

30079793

Abstract

Women with substance use disorders (SUDs) experience high rates of violence exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which are associated with parenting anxiety and lower parenting satisfaction among mothers. Although social support may buffer the impact of violence and PTSD on parenting, violence exposure and PTSD may impair mothers' ability to create, perceive, and utilize social support. We examined the impact of violence exposure, trauma symptoms, and interpersonal support on parenting competence among 291 mothers with substance dependence, using ordinary least squares regression and path analysis. Greater violence exposure and trauma symptoms were associated with lower parenting competence. Greater interpersonal support was associated with greater parenting competence. Trauma symptoms and interpersonal support sequentially mediated the impact of violence exposure on parenting competence, suggesting one pathway through which violence exposure may affect parenting among substance-dependent mothers. Implications for practice include the need to utilize trauma-informed interventions that modify social support.

Language: en

Keywords

PTSD; alcohol and drugs; parenting and mediators; social support; violence exposure