Re: drug abuse and parenting

[Susan Howland Thompson <slhthompson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I recently read an article in the online, full text version of
Pediatrics http://www.pediatrics.org (November 1997; 100 (5) Perinatal
Substance Abuse: The Impact of Reporting Infants to Child Protective
Services) concerning CPS involvement at delivery of drug exposed
infants.

My research of substance abuse and parenting focuses on social/emotional
abuse of children, which can be significant.  Young Children (the
journal for the National Association for the Education of Young
Children) will publish my article, "Working with Children of
Substance-Abusing Parents" in January, 1988.  Long term research on
substance abuse in pregnancy is inconclusive, other than physical
problems to the pregnancy and the newborn.  Much of the purported
behavior problems of "drug babies" may be a result of being raised by
substance-abusing parents, rather than a result of the prenatal drug
exposure.  Attachment disorder is particulaly involved with these
children.

Good Luck,
Susan Howland Thompson, MSW

> This is the second request that I have sent.  The first didn't seem to
> make it.
> I am the director of a transitional home for severely abused children
> here
> in Israel and am very interested in finding sources pertaining to drug
> abuse
> and parenting.  In what conditions would a CPS worker remove a child
> from
> the home and when would he leave the child in the home?  Also, I would
> like
> any sources pertaining to children born to heroin addicted mothers and
>
> crack/cocain users during pregnancy.
>
> I have read two different studies saying that there is no longterm
> effect on
> children born to mothers that took cocain during pregnancy.  Does
> anyone
> know of longterm research done on these children?
>
> I thank anyone (and everyone...) for their help.
> Shari Ben Natan