The chapter highlights results from the Buffalo Longitudinal Study, which began in infancy and was guided by a developmental cascade model. The chapter discusses the importance of the co-occurrence of parent alcohol problems with depression and antisocial behavior beginning in early childhood, and how these parental risks in infancy may predict the quality of parent–child interactions and infant–parent attachment. These processes in early childhood may set the stage for one of the most salient developmental issues at preschool age—the development of self-regulation. Together, the parent–child relationship and child self-regulation may predict one of the most clearly established pathways to adolescence substance use disorders—continuity of externalizing problems from childhood to adolescence. Finally, this chapter presents results from a developmental cascade model from infancy to adolescence, with implications for development of preventive interventions for adolescent substance use disorders.
Developmental Window of Opportunity: Implications of Parent-Child Psychotherapy for Early Childhood Depression Treatment