Counseling issues related to maternal substance abuse and subsequent sudden infant death syndrome in offspring

Recent reports linking maternal prenatal drug use to SIDS in offspring raise six specific issues related to professional intervention: (1) blaming addicted parents compounds the normal guilt experienced after SIDS; (2) low self-esteem often underlies drug usage; (3) punitive intervention by child protective agencies may lead to parental mistrust of health professionals, reducing access to help; (4) society's increasing tendency to criminalize drug use during pregnancy may expose women to prosecution if a SIDS death occurs; (5) the debate over monitoring at risk infants is further complicated if caretakers use drugs; and (6) recent articles have suggested that the majority of SIDS deaths may be the result of homicide, neglect, environmental hazards, etc. For addicted parents, a SIDS death increases the risk of social fragmentation and poses challenges to professional interventions.The destructive effects of the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome go far beyond the lost lives of infants. The psychiatric morbidity among surviving family members can be severe and prolonged. Professional counseling seems vital in the prevention and treatment of a disabling guilt that follows the death of a child. (Bergman et al., 1969)