| Objective. To determine whether a relationship between maternal lifetime patterns of alcohol and illicit drug use is linked to child maltreatment and poor child outcomes supported by a Fairbairnian Perspective of Developmental Psychopathology. This perspective explains how alcohol and illicit drug use contributes to child maltreatment and poor child outcomes by a depletion of the central ego and an over investment in the libidinal and antilibidinal ego. Methods. Mother and child dyads that completed the age 8 interviews were recruited from JPA in Chicago as part of a larger five site longitudinal study (Capella Project). Mothers' lifetime patterns of alcohol and illicit drug use was used as a predictor of child maltreatment and poor child outcomes, using two self-report measures for alcohol and drug use: Caregiver Substance Abuse (CSA) for lifetime history of alcohol and illicit drug use and the CAGE, for problem alcohol use. History of Loss and Victimization (VICA), a self-report measure was used to report any childhood history of victimization. Child Maltreatment was assessed using the Barnett, Manly and Cicchetti Coding Scheme. The Battelle, WPPSI, PRESS and CBCL were used to measure child outcomes. Results. Seventy-nine percent of mothers reported lifetime alcohol use, 46% reported current alcohol use, 22% of the mothers who reported a childhood history of victimization used illicit drugs, and 8% used alcohol and drugs, 23% of the mothers who reported a childhood history of victimization remained abstinent from alcohol and drugs since the birth of the target child. Mothers with a founded report of child maltreatment were more likely to use cocaine, crack and amphetamines. Children whose mothers reported never having used alcohol or drugs had less developmental problems than mothers currently using and those who have been abstinent from the birth of the target child. The highest incidence of poor child outcomes was in the category of alcohol use only. Conclusion. Mothers with a history of victimization were more likely to have alcohol and illicit drug problems, a founded report of child maltreatment, and poorer child outcomes. |
