title: Parenting skills and family support programs for drug-abusing mothers.
abstract: Children born to drug-using mothers can suffer from fetal alcohol or drug syndrome (FAS/FDS) or fetal alcohol or drug effect (FAE/FDE). Such children have a greater likelihood of developing acute or chronic physical, cognitive and behavioral problems. In-utero exposure to tobacco, alcohol or drugs impact on the developing fetus and, after birth, the family environment and family system exert effects on the infants and children of substance-abusing parents. Evidence-based prevention and maternal drug treatment programs focus on enhancing parental childcaring abilities, supporting parent-child attachment and encouraging family support systems to improve children's health and cognitive outcomes. FAS/FDS prevention programs, as well as selective and indicated prenatal and postnatal interventions, can improve the support given both to mother and to child, and evidence-based, in-home parenting and family-skills-training approaches are particularly useful.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion and Education, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. kkumfer@xmission.com <kkumfer@xmission.com>
authors.forename: Karol L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kumpfer
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Fowler
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016487:Parenting; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D015995:Prevalence; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*