ReviewAdversity and resilience science2026
Infant Caregiving as a Resilience Factor for Postpartum Substance Misuse: A Scoping Review.
Review in Adversity and resilience science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Exploring hormonal influences on nicotine craving and use across the perinatal period: A prospective longitudinal study.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The postpartum is a period of profound psychological and physiological change characterized by heightened vulnerability to return to substance misuse for individuals with a history of substance use disorder. Much existing research has focused on how postpartum substance use disrupts caregiving behaviors and adversely affects infant outcomes (i.e., risk frameworks). Comparatively little attention has been given to the potential for caregiving behaviors to serve as protective factors against postpartum substance use (i.e., resilience framework). This scoping review synthesized empirical studies examining caregiving behaviors as potential predictors of postpartum substance use outcomes, as thus far the inverse association has received greater attention in the literature. Following a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and Scopus (2000-2024), 42 studies met inclusion criteria, most of which assessed breastfeeding as a predictor of maternal substance use. Breastfeeding demonstrated consistent protective associations, particularly against postpartum nicotine use, with 28 of 30 studies reporting reduced smoking among breastfeeding mothers. Limited evidence also suggested protective effects of breastfeeding on alcohol, cannabis, and opioid use. Preliminary studies of other caregiving behaviors (i.e., skin-to-skin care, babywearing) indicated potential reductions in substance use urges and cigarette smoking. In several studies, contextual moderators (e.g., partner smoking, socioeconomic status) influenced the strength of these associations. Findings support the hypothesis that caregiving behaviors, especially those involving high physical touch, may reduce risk for postpartum substance misuse through neuroendocrine, psychological, and social mechanisms. However, research remains limited in scope and diversity. Expanding investigations beyond breastfeeding to include varied caregiving practices and caregiver populations could inform strengths-based, family-centered interventions that promote recovery and family well-being.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.