The impact of parenting stress among substance-abusing mothers on children's adjustment: The mediating influences of maternal responsiveness, monitoring, and family rituals

Relations between parenting stress and children's adjustment, as mediated by maternal responsiveness, maternal monitoring, and family rituals, were investigated in a sample of 79 African American, substance-abusing mothers and their children. Questionnaire data were collected as part of Project IMPACT, a three-year substance abuse prevention study. Results from this study provided support that parenting stress contributes to higher levels of aggression and depression among children. Moreover, support was provided for the hypothesis that mothers who have high parenting stress engage in lower levels of maternal monitoring. This study did not, however, confirm the mediating effects of maternal monitoring on children's adjustment. Certain aspects of parenting stress were found to uniquely account for individual differences in children's depression and aggression. Contextual influences on parenting were discussed, as well as implications for family and community involvement in future prevention programming.