Fathers' Cocaine Use and Parent-Child Feeding Interactions.

Background

Limited research has explored father-child interactions during feeding in dyads where fathers use cocaine, despite the critical role these interactions play in infant development.

Methods

This study aimed to evaluate whether paternal cocaine use, psychopathology (measured via the SCL-90/R), and difficult child temperament (assessed using the QUIT) are linked to lower-quality father-child feeding interactions (evaluated through the SVIA) compared to dyads with non-substance-using fathers.

Results

Father-child feeding interactions in the substance-using (SU) group were significantly poorer in quality than those in the non-substance-using (NSU) group. Fathers using cocaine displayed elevated SCL-90/R scores, particularly in hostility, anxiety, and depression. Maternal anxiety exacerbated interactional conflict during feeding. Furthermore, in the SU group, higher paternal psychoticism predicted lower-quality feeding interactions (as indicated by three SVIA subscales) but only when combined with higher levels of children's Negative Emotionality.

Conclusions

This study highlights the significant challenges faced by substance-using fathers in maintaining high-quality feeding interactions, emphasizing the detrimental impact of paternal psychopathology, maternal anxiety, and child temperament on caregiving dynamics.