Maternal drug abuse versus maternal depression: Vulnerability and resilience among school-age and adolescent offspring

Suniya S. Luthar, Chris C. Sexton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

58 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this study of 360 low-income mother-child dyads, our primary goal was to disentangle risks linked with commonly co-occurring maternal diagnoses: substance abuse and affective/anxiety disorders. Variable- and person-based analyses suggest that, at least through children's early adolescence, maternal drug use is no more inimical for them than is maternal depression. A second goal was to illuminate vulnerability and protective processes linked with mothers' everyday functioning, and results showed that negative parenting behaviors were linked with multiple adverse child outcomes. Conversely, the other parenting dimensions showed more domain specificity; parenting stress was linked with children's lifetime diagnoses, and limit setting and closeness with children's externalizing problems and everyday competence, respectively. Results are discussed in terms of implications for resilience theory, interventions, and social policy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)205-225
Number of pages21
JournalDevelopment and psychopathology
Volume19
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2007
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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