BACKGROUND: Mothers who abuse substances are more likely to have impaired parenting and lose custody of their young children. OBJECTIVE: The pilot study described mother–child relational quality of women in substance abuse treatment. The identification of mothers’ perceptions of being parented, current level of depression, discrete and potentially modifiable mothering behaviors, and self-appraisals of their role. DESIGN: The descriptive study implemented audio-video–recorded mother–child interactions for coding. RESULTS: Twenty-nine dyads participated with children age 4 weeks to 5 years. Mothers had lower levels of caring from their parents and moderate depression that was correlated with many of the relational quality behaviors. Eleven of 29 maternal behaviors were coded as concerning. Reflections by mothers revealed modest, yet confident self-appraisals of their maternal role. CONCLUSIONS: Women who experienced higher depression demonstrated lower maternal quality. Some maternal behaviors were identified as less optimal although many were strengths.
