Co‐Occurring Trajectory of Mothers’ Substance Use and Psychological Control and Children's Behavior Problems: The Effects of a Family Systems Intervention

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12279
• Author: Jing Zhang,Xin Feng,Natasha Slesnick
• Published date: 01 March 2018
• Date: 01 March 2018

Co-Occurring Trajectory of Mothers’ Substance Use

and Psychological Control and Children’s Behavior

Problems: The Effects of a Family Systems

Intervention

JING ZHANG*

NATASHA SLESNICK*

XIN FENG*

This study examined the effects of a family systems therapy (Ecologically-Based Famil y

Therapy [EBFT]) on the co-occurring trajectory of mothers’ substance use and psychologi-

cal control, and its association with children’s problem behaviors. Participants included

183 mothers with a substance use disorder who had at least one biological child in their

care. Mothers were randomly assigned to one of the three intervention conditions: EBFT—

home, n=62; EBFT—office, n=61; or Women’s Health Education, n=60. Participants

were assessed at baseline, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months post-baseline. A dual-trajectory class

growth analysis identified three groups of mothers in regard to their change trajectories.

The majority of the mothers exhibited a synchronous decrease in substance use and psycho-

logical control (n=107). In all, 46 mothers exhibited a synchronous increase in substance

use and psychological control. For the remaining 30 mothers, substance use and psyc holog-

ical control remained stable. Mothers in the family therapy condition were more likely to

show reduced substance use and psychological control compared to mothers in the control

condition. Moreover, children with mothers who showed decreased substance use and psy-

chological control exhibited lower levels of problem behaviors compared to children with

mothers showing increased substance use and psychological control. The findings provide

evidence for the effectiveness of family systems therapy, EBFT, in treating mothers’ sub-

stance use, improving parenting behaviors, and subsequently improving child behavioral

outcomes.

Keywords: Randomized Clinical Trial; Family Systems Intervention; Substance Using

Mothers; Psychological Control; Children’s Behavior Problems

Fam Proc 57:211–225, 2018

Approximately, 20% of adults receiving substance use treatment live with their minor

children (Stanger et al., 1999). Research consistently notes that parents’ substance

use interferes with parenting, which has detrimental effects on child developmental and

behavioral outcomes (Miller, Smyth, & Mudar, 1999; Stanger, Dumenci, Kamon, &

Burstein, 2004). Parental substance use is associated with high rates of child maltreat-

ment (Staton-Tindall, Sprang, Clark, Walker, & Craig, 2013), overly punitive parenting,

and diminished parental monitoring (Lang, Pelham, Atkeson, & Murphy, 1999; Miller

*The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.

This research was supported by NIDA grant R01 DA023062 awarded to Natasha Slesnick.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jing Zhang, The Ohio State University,

139 Campbell Hall 1787 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210. E-mail: zhang.5636@osu.edu

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Family Process, Vol. 57, No. 1, 2018 ©2017 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12279