Motherhood and Criminality: An Examination of the Influence of Substance Use on Criminal Behavior among Mothers

• In Event: Posters I

Abstract

Few studies have focused on the influence of motherhood and criminal activity. This research seeks to fill this gap in literature by examining the relationship between motherhood, criminality, and substance use. Parenthood is thought to deter criminal activity, not only due to the presence of social restraints associated with parenting, but also due to the hardships and responsibilities of caring for a dependent child that now takes precedence over the time of the parent; time that may have been otherwise spent committing crime. Being a parent redirects an individual’s obligations and their consequences for later social development towards less criminogenic circumstances, but may also contribute to parents turning to substances as a mechanism to cope with the strains associated with parenting. In the current study, socioeconomic hardship, perceived social support, and other characteristics are examined in an effort to assess the influence of strain on substance use and criminally deviant behavior among mothers. We examine this relationship using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study from Princeton and Columbia Universities. We suggest this relationship is largely contingent upon the strains associated with motherhood.

Authors

• Erin Nicole Pavioni, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

• Emily R. Berthelot, University of Arkansas at Little Rock