Transmission of Neglect in Substance Abuse Families: The Role of Child Dysregulation and Parental SUD

SUMMARY Paternal and maternal models of transmission of child neglect were tested separately in 10–12 year old offspring of men with a substance use disorder (SUD) and psychiatrically normal men (n = 156). The model hypothesizes that childhood neglect experienced by parents is related to their neglectful parenting moderated by psychological dysregulation in the child and by parental SUD. The paternal model was not confirmed. However, it was found that a history of childhood neglect in the mother was related to seventy of neglect of her offspring. Child dysregulation was independently related to neglect severity and also enhanced the magnitude of association between history of neglect experienced by the mother and the severity of her neglectful parenting. In addition, SUD in the mother directly correlated with severity of neglectful parenting. Maternal SUD also moderated the association between her history of childhood neglect and severity of neglectful parenting. The ramifications of these results for understanding the etiology and impact of child neglect on the risk for SUD are discussed.