Bonnie E. Carlson

Stress, Coping, and Resilience in Children and Youth

In this article, we review the literature on stress, coping, risk, and resilience in children, little of which is reflected in the social welfare literature. A consistent relation has been found between exposure to a wide variety of stressors or risk factors and child and adolescent well-being. However, some youth are more resilient and able to overcome adversity. Resiliency is tied to protective factors such as parental management and social support that moderate the effects of risk and stress. Interventions to reduce risk and promote coping and resilience in children and adolescents are discussed.

Traumatic Histories and Stressful Life Events of Incarcerated Parents: Childhood and Adult Trauma Histories

Abuse and trauma are common in the histories of prison inmates. This article presents the results of research on the trauma histories and stressful life events experienced by 2,279 male and female inmate parents in Arizona, with a particular focus on gender and ethnic differences across inmates. A sample of 838 incarcerated fathers and 1,441 mothers completed anonymous questionnaires regarding traumatic and stressful events experienced as children and/or adults. High rates of exposure to childhood and adult traumatic events, especially child abuse, were found for both males and females and across ethnic groups.

Competing Value Premises for the Provision of Drug Treatment to Probationers

Anti-drug-abuse policy debates center on the relative emphasis to be given to prevention, enforcement, and treatment efforts. Even though there are insufficient treatment services to meet the demand, there has been little debate about the question of who should benefit first from the available services. The consequences of lack of such policy for urban probation departments are examined. Lack of an allocation policy appears to be related to unresolved conflicts among competing premises for allocating services. Four premises are identified, and how drug-abusing probationers might fare under each premise is discussed.

Traumatic histories and stressful life events of incarcerated parents II: Gender and ethnic differences in substance abuse and service needs

Substance abuse is increasingly common in prison inmates. This article presents findings on substance abuse and service needs of male and female inmate parents in Arizona, with a particular focus on gender and ethnic differences across inmates. A sample of 838 incarcerated fathers and 1,441 mothers completed anonymous questionnaires regarding traumatic and stressful events experienced as children and/or adults, including addiction. Exposure to childhood and adult traumatic events, especially child abuse, was related to self-reported alcohol and drug problems for both males and females. Mothers reported significantly more postrelease service needs than fathers. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.

A Pilot Study of Reunification following Drug Abuse Treatment: Recovering the Mother Role

This qualitative study explored the experiences of women in recovery from drug abuse who had resumed parenting their children after child placement. Six mothers and 11 service providers from substance abuse treatment and child welfare agencies were interviewed about their perceptions of the experience of being reunified with ones children following substance abuse treatment. Findings revealed that mothers have intense emotional reactions to having children placed, which can motivate recovery but also be a source of stress. A variety of supports were identified as necessary to prepare mothers for resuming care of children beyond substance abuse treatment including counseling, child care, financial support, and parenting education. Reunification, however desirable, was described as overwhelming and fraught with parenting challenges, such as effective limit setting with children. Numerous challenges and barriers to successful reunification were identified, such as stigmatization in the child welfare system. Implications for service delivery and research are discussed.

Meditation as a Coping Intervention for Treatment of Addiction

Addiction is a complex problem that can affect all realms of life and calls for a holistic response. Stress can contribute to addiction, and stress also results from the consequences of addiction. Mindfulness meditation has been successfully utilized to reduce stress among people with medical problems. Using a stress and coping framework, this article discusses meditation as a coping intervention for clients in treatment for substance abuse. Research on meditation as a substance abuse treatment intervention is reviewed and limitations are addressed. A mindfulness meditation group intervention model is set forth.

Sibling Incest: Adjustment in Adult Women Survivors

To measure adjustment of women survivors of sibling incest, 35 adult female survivors and a matched comparison group of 21 women were interviewed and completed questionnaires regarding their adult adjustment. Sibling incest survivors reported significantly higher anxiety, depression, hostility, and adult victimization and lower self-esteem. Beliefs about child sexual abuse mediated the relationship between sibling incest and depression and anxiety for survivors, the majority of whom believed that men cannot be trusted, it is dangerous to let others get close, and that a normal life is not possible for them because of the abuse they suffered. Other forms of child abuse were significantly associated with self-esteem and depression, but not anxiety, among survivors. Adult victimization was also associated with increased depression and anxiety in survivors.

Methamphetamine-Involved Parents in the Child Welfare System: Are They More Challenging Than Other Substance-Involved Parents?

Although methamphetamine use has been declining, it continues to be problematic among parents in the child welfare system. We examined the assertion that parental methamphetamine use is more detrimental for children than abuse of other substances. Using administrative data (N = 2,465) from a treatment program, we compared parents reporting abuse of methamphetamine (48%) with parents reporting alcohol only (11%) or abuse of other illegal drugs (41%) on a number of variables. Methamphetamine users were more likely to be female, White, have less education, be unemployed, and not be in a committed relationship, and their children were significantly more likely to be placed.

Women Service Members and Family Reintegration

Women are being deployed at increasing rates. This article reviews literature related to the risk and protective factors that explain varied levels of adaptation for servicewomen and their families. Implications suggest that clinicians assess risk factors for female soldiers upon return home such as the number and length of deployments, the presence of mental health challenges, physical injuries including traumatic brain injury, the experience of military sexual trauma, a history of childhood or adult sexual trauma, and the pile-up of additional life stressors that can lead to a cumulative negative effect for women and their families. Clinicians are also encouraged to assess and encourage family strengths that foster resilience such as social support, ongoing communication, family structure that is flexible, and positive appraisal.

Women and Families

Despite their greater frequency in men, alcohol and drug use problems are significant among women. This chapter discusses addiction and associated problems specific to women. Treatment admissions data suggest that women were about half as likely to be admitted to treatment for drug or alcohol problems, although the relative proportion of male-to-female admissions varies considerable by specific type of substance. Women’s chemical dependency is more often initiated in response to a stressful life event. Research has accumulated that shows that women entering treatment for drug or alcohol dependence are likely to have experienced childhood and/or adult interpersonal victimization. Consumption of alcohol during pregnancy can result in a range of effects on the fetus, the most serious being fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). One of the major consequences of substance abuse for women is impaired parenting. Issues of cultural diversity, treatment and best practice guidelines for providing services for women who abuse or are dependent on substances is outlined and discussed.