“A Window of Opportunity”: Parenting and Addiction in the Context of Pregnancy

This article aims to synthesize the evidence on the specific prenatal risk factors affecting the development of early parenting of substance-using mothers, as well as interventions focusing on those factors.Recent FindingsBoth neurobiological and psychosocial risk factors affect the prenatal development of parenting in the context of maternal substance use. Maternal –fetal attachment, mentalization, self-regulation, and psychosocial risks are important in treatment and highly intertwined with abstinence. Although parenting interventions seem to be highly beneficial, most studies have not differentiated between pre- and postnatal interventions or described pre gnancy-specific intervention elements.SummaryDue to the salience of pregnancy in treating substance-using parents, interventions should begin prenatally and include pregnancy-specific parenting focus. Further research on prenatal interventions is warranted.
Source: Current Addiction Reports - Category: Addiction Source Type: research