Depression and Anger as Risk Factors Underlying the Relationship Between Maternal Substance Involvement and Child Abuse Potential

• NCJ Number: 229979
• Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 34 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2010 Pages: 105-113
• Author(s): Denise Hien; Lisa R. Cohen; Nathilee A. Caldeira; Peter Flom; Gail Wasserman
• Date Published: February 2010
• Length: 9 pages
• Grant Number(s): RO1 DA 012752
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This study examined how emotion regulation deficits in the area of anger arousal and reactivity are associated with child abuse potential in mothers with substance use and depressive disorders in order to identify targeted areas for prevention and treatment.

Abstract

A sample of 152 urban mothers was interviewed on measures of substance use, diagnosis of depression, anger arousal and reactivity, and child abuse potential. Linear hierarchical regressions revealed that anger arousal and reactivity exceeded diagnostic and demographic variables in predicting maternal child abuse potential. Additionally, anger arousal and reactivity was found to be a partial mediator of the relationship between diagnostic category and child abuse potential. Findings are discussed in relation to a multifaceted model of child abuse potential which broadens the existing literature to include an examination of depression and emotion regulation in order to more fully understand how substance use and child abuse potential are linked. Models and approaches which help clients to manage and regulate difficult feeling states, specifically anger, could be helpful, and may be most readily applied in such populations. Tables and references (Published Abstract)