Violence Exposure Decreases Parenting Competence Among Substance-Dependent Mothers through Trauma Symptoms and Lowered Social Support

Background and Purpose: High rates of violence exposure and PTSD among mothers with substance use disorders (SUDs) are associated with lower parenting competence and harsh and insensitive parenting practices (Suchman, et al, 2004). Although social support may buffer the impact of violence and PTSD on parenting competence, violence exposure and PTSD may impair mothers’ ability to create, perceive, and utilize social support. The pathways through which social support and violence exposure affect parenting competence in mothers with SUD require further examination. Guided by Belsky’s (1984) Process Model of Parenting, the purpose of this study was to test one pathway through which trauma-related symptoms and social support may sequentially mediate the influence of violence exposure on parenting competence among mothers with SUDs.

Methods: Data were collected from 291 mothers at two time points as part of a longitudinal study on the social networks of women in treatment for substance dependence. Validated measures to assess variables of interest included the Exposure to Violence Scale, Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, Trauma Symptom Checklist, and the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List. Ordinary least squares regression with hierarchical entry was utilized to examine the specific variance in parenting competence individually accounted for by violence exposure, trauma symptoms, and social support. To examine the hypothesized sequential mediation of trauma symptoms and interpersonal support in the association between violence exposure and parenting competence, we used a bias corrected bootstrap procedure, using 1,000 bootstrap samples in Mplus Version 6.

Results: Average age of the sample was 36 years (Range=18 to 58), and 63% identified as Black African American. Regression results revealed that exposure to violence (B = −0.202, p < .05) and trauma symptoms (B = −0.085, p < .05) were negatively associated with parenting competence, while greater interpersonal support was associated with higher parenting competence (B = 0.433, p < .001). The hypothesized sequential mediation model, with trauma symptoms and interpersonal support mediating the relationship between violence exposure and parenting competence, fit the data well, and the standardized coefficients for each link in this mediated pathway were statistically significant. Greater violence exposure was associated with greater trauma symptoms, B = 0.35, p < .001. Greater trauma symptoms were associated with lower interpersonal support (B = −0.28, p < .001), and lower interpersonal support was associated with lower parenting competence (B = −0.36, p < .001).

Conclusions and Implications: Although previous literature supports the negative association between violence exposure and general self-efficacy, this study identified links between violence exposure and efficacy specific to the parenting role. Beyond the impact of addictive disorders on parenting, the impact of violence exposure, trauma symptoms and diminished social support on parenting competence may further compromise effective parenting practices in this population. Interventions that reduce the impact of trauma symptoms on social support are important to building parenting competence in mothers with addictions. Interventions to enhance interpersonal support in this population should be specifically targeted to reduce trauma-related barriers to creating, perceiving, and utilizing support to enhance successful parenting.