Mother-Infant Interaction in Maternal Substance Abuser of Cocaine
Research has reported mixed results regarding effects on parent-child interactions of cocaine-abusing mothers. A study is needed to assist in the understanding of these different findings and conclusions regarding impacts of cocaine-use on mother-child interactions.
Hypothesis: mothers with positive urine drug screens for cocaine differ significantly from those with negative urine drug screens with regard to their perceptions of their infants and their interactions with these infants.
Variables for the study include: the grouping and independent variable, cocaine use/non-use, as operationally defined by positive and negative urine samples; and the dependent variables, perceptions of infants and perceptions of mother-infant interactions, operationally defined by the items on the study survey.
Johnson (2001) found most studies demonstrated a link between maternal substance abuse and detrimental impacts on the mother-child interaction; literature review of 23 articles.
The cocaine abusing mother is frequently unable to attend to their child (Ball, et al., 1997); quasi-experimental study of cocaine-abusing mothers with videotaped ratings of attentiveness to children (compared to non-cocaine-using mothers).
Drug-abusing mothers differed from controls with a tendency for lower ratings in enthusiasm, responsivity to infant cues, and infant happiness (Burns, et al., 1997); quasi-experimental research with videotaping of The Parent-Child Early Relational Assessment in 20 mother-infant dyads.
Brinker, Baxter, and Butler (1994) found that mothers increased their responsivity over time and this was related to the infants involvement in the interaction; quasi-experimental study of 18 mother-infant dyads who were exposed to an intervention and videotaped to obtain data.
French, et al. (1997) found that intera
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