ISBN: 9798538130016

Category: Unavailable

Page count: 158

Alcohol use among mothers has received little academic attention. This is particularly concerning given evidence of increased alcohol use among women, along with the recent portrayal of alcohol use as a suitable method for coping with the stressors of parenthood. Role Theory, Stress Theory, and the Opportunity Perspective provide a theoretical framework to suggest that the transition to motherhood and the stressors associated with managing child behavior problems could influence a mother's level of alcohol consumption. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of child externalizing behavior, child emotionality, and maternal sense of competence on mothers' drinking across years 1-5 postpartum. This study is a secondary data analysis of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and utilized a series of linear and logistic regressions. Despite an initial correlation between child externalizing behavior and maternal alcohol use, there was not significant evidence to support the hypotheses of this study. Child externalizing behavior did not significantly predict the largest number of drinks mothers consumed or the frequency at which they engaged in binge drinking. There was not significant evidence to suggest that parental sense of competence moderated the hypothesized relationship between child externalizing behavior and maternal alcohol use, nor was there evidence that emotionality significantly mediated this relationship. A discussion of limitations, implications, and future directions for research, prevention, and intervention is included.