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Precious Datuin

Professor Kalas

ECE 250

22 October 2019

Effects of parent drug use and personality on toddler adjustment

Hypothesis

In the article, they study three alternative models which are interdependent, independent

and mediational, to find the correlation of the children’s behavior and parental drug use and

personality attributes. Within the interdependent model, they would analyze the drug use

domains and the personalities of the parents in order to predict the child’s behavior. Using the

independent model, they believe that the consequences of the children’s behavior is directly

coordinated with the personality and drug use of the parents. In the mediational model, they see

the parental drug use affecting the parent’s personality attributes which can also influence the

child’s actions or behavior.

Methodology

Procedures included over 1,000 participants of mothers and children. Their age range was taken

accounted for the study. The first sightings of research was two counties in upstate New York

starting from ages 1 to 10 years old, and as dated back to the late 1900s during the time of study.

In the process of doing that the researchers came across 4 different time samples and the first

sample had a mean of 6.1 years old. The study was, however, based upon the fourth sample

which was mainly based off of the substance using parents. The two hour long questionnaire

including 76 children and 56 parents, each paid for their participation. With confidentiality, the
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parents were asked about the traits of their first child such as their behavior, personality, peers,

family, and finally drug use.

Author’s Conclusion

The conclusion states that the child is greatly influenced by the personality of their parent(s) and

their use of substances. It can impact the child’s adjustment which helps determine their later

drug use. With the addition of substances, their personality can become hostile or abusive to the

child, which will cause negative factors in their development.

Your Critique

Reading the article, it was interesting learning the different effects that a substance using parent

has on a child’s development. With substance using parents, their emotions can run wild with the

parent having difficulty controlling it, and in some cases may explode onto the child. The parents

may have difficulties relating to others and will have intrapersonal distress that will affect their

personality attributes. With the changing personality, it will greatly influence the child’s

behavior and personality. Instead of providing the child with a stable environment, they will be

encompassing the child in a hostile and neglecting home, causing the child(ren) to become

disinhibited.

How Information Could Be Used In The Early Childhood Field

Based off of the research done in the article, teachers will be able to learn and identify the signs

of a child with substance using parents or parental personality attributes. Because there will be

signs such as their difficulty in trusting others, interpersonal relationship difficulties, underlying

feelings of depression and hostility, and higher levels of inner tension in the child, it can help the

teacher know how to properly address the student and the situation. Not only will the information

help identify what is causing the stress through the child, but the different signs of intrapersonal
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difficulty that is laying in the parent’s lives can also be added to any speculations. It will also be

helpful in order to identify the protective/protective mechanism and protective/risk mechanism

which are both different types of protective personality traits used with drug use which affect the

child’s adjustment.

Work Cited

Brook, Judith S., et al. "Effects of Parent Drug use and Personality on Toddler Adjustment." The

Journal of Genetic Psychology, vol. 157, no. 1, 1996, pp. 19. ProQuest,
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http://ezproxy.library.csn.edu/login?

url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/228548893?accountid=27953.