Fathers' Cocaine Use and Parent-Child Feeding Interactions

Abstract

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.

Keywords: cocaine use; father–child interactions; feeding; psychopathology.