When Mothers and Fathers Are 'Gone': Predicting Intergenerational Cycles of Risk in Opioid-Involved Parents.

Area of Science:

• Child Welfare Research
• Developmental Psychology
• Addiction Medicine

Background:

• The opioid epidemic and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) pose significant challenges to child welfare.
• Understanding intergenerational cycles of ACEs and attachment insecurity in parents with opioid use disorder is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the pathways between parental ACEs and parent-young child attachment in opioid-involved parents.
• To investigate the mediating roles of substance use severity, depression, and trauma symptoms.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 101 opioid-involved parents undergoing medication-assisted treatment was studied.
• Direct and indirect pathways between parental ACEs and attachment patterns were analyzed using PROCESS.

Main Results:

• Mothers' ACEs predicted disorganized attachment, with depression and trauma symptoms being significant mediators.
• Fathers' ACEs did not predict insecure/disorganized attachment.
• Substance use severity did not predict parent-child attachment for either gender.

Conclusions:

• Parental ACEs have differential impacts on attachment patterns between mothers and fathers.
• Trauma- and attachment-informed interventions are recommended for high-risk parents to disrupt intergenerational risk cycles.