The effect of parenting stress on child behavior problems in high-risk children with prenatal drug exposure.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between early parenting stress and later child behavior in a high-risk sample and measure the effect of drug exposure on the relationship between parenting stress and child behavior.


METHODS
A subset of child-caregiver dyads (n=607) were selected from the Maternal Lifestyle Study (MLS), which is a large sample of children (n=1,388) with prenatal cocaine exposure and a comparison sample unexposed to cocaine. Of the 607 dyads, 221 were prenatally exposed to cocaine and 386 were unexposed to cocaine. Selection was based on the presence of a stable caregiver at 4 and 36 months with no evidence of change in caregiver between those time points.


RESULTS
Parenting stress at 4 months significantly predicted child externalizing behavior at 36 months. These relations were unaffected by cocaine exposure suggesting the relationship between parenting stress and behavioral outcome exists for high-risk children regardless of drug exposure history.


CONCLUSIONS
These results extend the findings of the relationship between parenting stress and child behavior to a sample of high-risk children with prenatal drug exposure. Implications for outcome and treatment are discussed.
Bagner
Daniel M
DM
Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Women and Infants' Hospital, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 101 Dudley Street, Providence, RI 02905, USA. Daniel_Bagner@brown.edu
Sheinkopf
Stephen J
SJ
Miller-Loncar
Cynthia
C
LaGasse
Linda L
LL
Lester
Barry M
BM
Liu
Jing
J
Bauer
Charles R
CR
Shankaran
Seetha
S
Bada
Henrietta
H
Das
Abhik
A
D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003042:Cocaine / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000633:toxicity*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009294:Narcotics / Q000633:toxicity*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D013694:Temperament
D013287:Illicit Drugs; D009294:Narcotics; D003042:Cocaine