Myriam Laventure

Parenting and maternal substance addiction: factors affecting utilization of child protective services.

The purpose of this study is to identify which personal, familial, environmental, and social factors are associated with the utilization of child protection services, including parental support programs, by mothers who misuse illicit substances. Participants are 56 mothers with substance use and addiction-related problems, of whom 32 were receiving, voluntarily or otherwise, child protection services while 24 mothers had psychotropic drug use-related problems but were receiving no psychosocial services. Data were collected in the province of Quebec, Canada, between August 1998 and August . Results indicate that mothers who receive services are younger, have fewer interpersonal resources, live in lower socioeconomic conditions, and have greater family dysfunction (less parental supervision and more inconsistent discipline) than mothers who do not receive services from child protection agencies. However, there are no significant differences between groups with regards to maternal childhood trauma, psychological distress, antisocial behavior and the quality of the parent–child bond. The results of this study suggest that although both groups misuse drugs and have personal difficulties, some mothers will not need support from social services to take care of their children. Implications of these findings for prevention are discussed. The studys limitations are noted.

Precocious Initiation into Smoking, Alcohol Use, and Gambling among Children with Conduct Problems

Objective: Adolescent participation in risky and addictive behaviours, such as smoking, substance use, and gambling has the potential to lead to many serious problems. The presence of conduct problems (CPs) and early initiation into risky and addictive behaviours have been independently shown to be associated with adolescent and young adult smoking, drinking, and gambling. Nevertheless, the relation between early initiation into risky and addictive behaviours and CPs remains to be explored among pre-adolescents. Our study aims to examine the prospective relation between CPs in early primary school and pre-adolescent initiation into smoking, alcohol use, and gambling. Method: Our study used data from participants in an ongoing prospective, longitudinal study at the Université de Sherbrooke to examine cigarette, alcohol, and gambling initiation among primary school-aged boys and girls with CPs. Children were recruited between the ages of 6 and 9 years from several low socioeconomic status public schools in diverse geographical regions of Quebec. Initiation into cigarettes, alcohol, and gambling was measured 1 year later. Results: Children with CPs were found to be at greater risk for early initiation into smoking, alcohol, and gambling. These effects remained even once other known risk factors, such as poor parental supervision and child effortful control, were controlled for. Conclusions: These results suggest that CPs present in early elementary school can predict early initiation in to potentially addictive behaviours among boys and girls. Implications for targeted preventive intervention are discussed.