Maternal Mental Health, Trauma, and Substance Use: Implications for Family Reunification in Child Welfare
Location
Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation (CALS)
Publication Date
April 2025
Start Date
17-4-2025 8:00 AM
Description
With an alarming rise in infants exposed to substances during pregnancy, Child Welfare Agencies face significant challenges in managing cases involving substance-exposed newborns. Prenatal substance use can impact fetal development, as well as produce long term cognitive, behavioral, and physical health consequences for the child. Reunification with biological parents is the ideal outcome for children in foster care, as it supports emotional well-being, long-term stability, and minimizes the traumatic effects of separation. However, mothers of substance-exposed newborns face many barriers to reunification, as they commonly experience multiple unmet needs. Additionally, there is a lack of stigma-free, accessible care to adequately address these needs. Through a review of relevant literature, this project explores how maternal mental health, substance use, and experiences of trauma can impair parenting practices, disrupt attachment, and exacerbate the risk of child maltreatment. This review highlights protective factors that increase the likelihood of reunification for mothers of substance-exposed newborns. A case study is included to convey the clinical application of research findings. Overall, findings suggest there are several characteristics of mothers (e.g., age, marital status, education level, primary substance used), as well as protective factors (e.g., the degree of responsibility parents assume for the state of the child, availability of community resources needed to assist the family) that impact the likelihood of reunification in cases involving substance-exposed newborns. Maternal mental health challenges, substance use, and experiences of trauma are associated with increased risk of involvement with the Child Welfare system, and have been found to impede reunification efforts for mothers of substance-exposed newborns. Addressing these factors through comprehensive, collaborative, and stigma-free services is crucial for improving reunification outcomes and in better supporting high-need families. Multidisciplinary interventions, such as Family Treatment Courts, are emphasized for their role in improving outcomes for both parents and children. Directions for future research include examining the impact of caseworker biases and decision-making on reunification outcomes, with the aim of enhancing objectivity in child welfare cases involving substance-exposed newborns.
Recommended Citation
Bergner, Hailey MA and Del Corral Winder, Sebastian PsyD, "Maternal Mental Health, Trauma, and Substance Use: Implications for Family Reunification in Child Welfare" (2025). Dept. of Psychiatry Research Symposium. 5.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/psych_rd/2025/presentations/5
Maternal Mental Health, Trauma, and Substance Use: Implications for Family Reunification in Child Welfare
Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation (CALS)
With an alarming rise in infants exposed to substances during pregnancy, Child Welfare Agencies face significant challenges in managing cases involving substance-exposed newborns. Prenatal substance use can impact fetal development, as well as produce long term cognitive, behavioral, and physical health consequences for the child. Reunification with biological parents is the ideal outcome for children in foster care, as it supports emotional well-being, long-term stability, and minimizes the traumatic effects of separation. However, mothers of substance-exposed newborns face many barriers to reunification, as they commonly experience multiple unmet needs. Additionally, there is a lack of stigma-free, accessible care to adequately address these needs. Through a review of relevant literature, this project explores how maternal mental health, substance use, and experiences of trauma can impair parenting practices, disrupt attachment, and exacerbate the risk of child maltreatment. This review highlights protective factors that increase the likelihood of reunification for mothers of substance-exposed newborns. A case study is included to convey the clinical application of research findings. Overall, findings suggest there are several characteristics of mothers (e.g., age, marital status, education level, primary substance used), as well as protective factors (e.g., the degree of responsibility parents assume for the state of the child, availability of community resources needed to assist the family) that impact the likelihood of reunification in cases involving substance-exposed newborns. Maternal mental health challenges, substance use, and experiences of trauma are associated with increased risk of involvement with the Child Welfare system, and have been found to impede reunification efforts for mothers of substance-exposed newborns. Addressing these factors through comprehensive, collaborative, and stigma-free services is crucial for improving reunification outcomes and in better supporting high-need families. Multidisciplinary interventions, such as Family Treatment Courts, are emphasized for their role in improving outcomes for both parents and children. Directions for future research include examining the impact of caseworker biases and decision-making on reunification outcomes, with the aim of enhancing objectivity in child welfare cases involving substance-exposed newborns.