What Is The Role Of Substance Abuse In Children

Growing up in the household under substances influence can cause severe damage to the child. Parental substance abuse has a significant impact on family function, and it may also contribute to child maltreatment. It heightens the risks to both of the physical and emotional safety of the children, and it generates children’s problematic outcomes. Children who grow up in such families may also experience mental health issues, social isolation, financial difficulties, and exposure to stressful life events and so on.

The cost of alcohol and substance abuse in the United States reaches heights of four hundred eighty four billion dollars per year (“Magnitude”). That’s about seven hundred eighty times the amount it cost to diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases in the year 2000 (Chesson). The sole purpose of this is not to persuade you one way or the other on this topic. Nor is the purpose to apologize for this social issue. The purpose of this writing is to employ data showing the societal effects parental addictions have on children, to show how this data has remained relevant in society, and to show how it is affecting our future members of society.

Substance abuse disorders are significant public health concerns and rank among the most common psychiatric disorders beginning in young adulthood. Substance abuse is considered low or infrequent doses of alcohol or drugs such that damaging consequences are rare or minor (Child Welfare, 2012). Such abuse can cause social, mental, emotional, and behavioral problems. Although there are numerous studies that discuss issues of substance abuse, there is a lack of response towards childhood development impacted by parental substance use disorder (PSUD). PSUD impacts the child’s physical, psychological, social, and behavioral development. Based on data from 2002 to 2007, approximately 7.3 million children lived with a parent who was dependent on or abused alcohol and about 2.2 million lived with a parent who was dependent on or abused illicit drugs (SAMSHA, 2009).

Drug addiction is a serious issue in not only America today, but globally. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, substance addiction is a “chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite the harmful consequences” (“What is drug addiction?”). Drug abuse affects not only the user, but those around the user as well. The actions of a drug user place a significant amount of worry on the people that are closest to them such as friends and family. Children with parents who are addicted to drugs or alcohol can be severely affected by the actions of their parents which can cause them much harm in terms of biological and

Another considerable factor of this problem is the influence these substances have on children. Alcoholism in the home is an extremely hard issue to cope with as a child. Domestic violence, which is often worsened by alcohol abuse, causes a lot of mental issues that affect children permanently. Many kids do not have a stable home and are forced to see their parents and loved ones struggle with drinking (Hopkins 7). Suffering through the effects of drugs and alcohol also make education a challenge. Children often times stay home from school or are inattentive during class due to lack of sleep from late-night parties or rowdiness at home.This makes it almost impossible to succeed later in life and lets the problem continue onto the next generation.

When an individual is struggling with drug addiction problems, the family is affected physically, mentally, and emotionally. The disease not only changes the addict’s whole life, but it changes the lives of their family members as parents get torn apart from themselves and each other. The role of each family member begins to shape around what is in the best interest of the addict. This research paper is an overview of the effects that raising a drug addicted child has on parent’s ability to be competent parental figures.

In research conducted by Kyzer, Conners-Burrow, & McKelvey (2013), it is estimated that more than 8 million children under the age of 18 live with at least one parent who abuses substances. This leads to a host of other issues for the children in their care, including abuse, neglect, placement in foster care, poverty, and homelessness or poor-quality neighborhoods. The children from these environments are exposed to several different risk factors, thus are facing a long road in front of them. One of the most troubling aspects of parental substance abuse is just how pervasive the detriment to the family can be. If parents spend needed resources to obtain their drugs of choice, they cannot pay for needed essentials, such as safe transportation or good housing. Exposure to poor neighborhoods, where the child is exposed to violence and disadvantaged areas, can put him or her at risk in the future (Kyzer et al.,

At times, the community is unsafe and damaging to the child’s development with current research, they are finding that environmental factors with a high crime rate, poverty, acts of violence and high drug distribution are top contributors that can lead to abuse. This can result in depression, substance abuse and social isolation from the parent and are seen more likely to experience abuse or maltreatment. Although abuse in itself is contributing factor, the likely hood increases with age. During the interview Kaleb discussed how substance abuse in itself can be a leading factor on its own. From his statistics, from the Child Welfare League of America about 40 to 80 percent of families affected by substance abuse. Which as a result of issues of substance abuse the child is more at risk of sexual abuse from the caregivers. Substance abuse often creates a domino effect for the child later in life, such as young pregnancy, problems in school, incarcerated in as a juvenile and the inability to cope with the trauma they experienced. He also stated that substance abusers are the most difficult to treat since many adults do not want to seek proper treatment and more likely to have their child permanently removed to long care foster

Substance misuse in families tends to remain undetected, yet guesstimates predict that approximately 2-300,000 children under 16 within England and Wales have parents who misuse legal or illicit drugs, including prescription medication, alcohol or heroin (ACMD, 2003). Although each case is unique, involvement with substances raises concerns when at medical, legal and socially unaccepted levels because of the possibility of an adverse effect upon a parent’s capacity to respond to their children’s needs (). In addition, parental substance usage during any stage of a child’s growth often negatively impacts development, for instance women consuming alcohol during pregnancy can have babies born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome which results in them having additional behavioural and learning needs (CDC, 2015). In turn, substance misuse exemplifies the risk of harm from abuse or neglect, as well as poorer short and long-term outcomes. For example, children denied a stable and loving environment because a parent using substances is physically and emotionally unavailable, are more likely to develop spiralling

Drugs and alcohol have been used for medical and recreational purposes throughout history. With advancement of technology it has become easier and easier to access these substances. It is not only illegal drugs but prescription drugs that are being misused and wreaking havoc across the world. Even with billions of dollars being paid out to stop the war on drugs, the problem persists. People from all walks of life have been affected by drugs or are becoming drug addicts themselves. One particular group afflicted by the misuse of these substances is the children of drug addicted parents. According to Cattapan and Grimwade, “Drug use seen in one generation affects the lives of the next”. Children with one or both parents on drugs face huge

The child welfare system according to “Parental Substance use and the Child Welfare System” (2009) include services and programs aimed to improve the well-being of children by making sure of their safety, achieving permanency, and by increasing the strength of families to successfully care for the children (Parental Substance Use and the Child Welfare System, 2009). Parental substance abuse has been linked to maltreatment and inadequacy to provide suitable care for children. This paper will be divided into headings as follows: needs for assessment, problem statement, goals and objectives of the National Center for Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW), program design, and evidenced-based intervention

Children can be subjected to the negative effects of parental substance use in a variety of different ways. For example, substance use during pregancy can cause detrimental outcomes for newborn infants by placing them at a higher risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), being born with birth defects, developing behavioral and developmental delays, being born premature, etc. Children with addicted parents, are placed at a higher risk of: lacking appropriate supervision; lacking basic needs such as: food, clothing, housing, and medical care; exposure to violence; developing substance abuse issues themselves.

Over the years comprehensive research has been accomplished and has determined that children raised by substance using parents are at an increased risk for developing substance use disorders (SUDs) in adulthood as a result of familial dissemination of substance abuse through both the environments in which the children are raised and genetic susceptibility (Merikangas et al., 1998; Merikangas & Avenevoli, 2000). Unfortunately, there is an insignificant amount of literature examining the effects that the combined treatment and recovery of substance abusing parents has on the affected children.

Although the agency pushes for legal charges against adults who involve in child abuse, the agency usually goes beyond the charges. In ach and very case that is reported, the agency attempts to understand the underlying factors of the abuse. The agency has realized that parents who abused alcohol where for times more likely to abuse their children than the parents who did not abuse alcohol. In such cases, most instances of abuse occurred when the parents were intoxicated. Further, substance abuse has also been related to recurrence of child neglect and abuse. Studies have shown that parents who abuse substances are most likely to abuse their children continually that parents who do not abuse substances. In literature review, parents who are normal and who are not abusing any drugs of

Children who come from risk living situations are at a greater risk of engaging in drug use which can affect the brains development. An article by Hedl (2007) suggest that inhalant use had gone up because children do not recognize or perceive the harmful effects of the use of these inhalants. This is very crucial because this is a time when children’s brains are continuously growing and being shaped for the future of who they will become. Helping these types of children overcome their adversity, increase their coping skills, and stay away from drugs is very important to the brain development and cognitive abilities (2007).