The Effects of Parental Substance Abuse

1. The Effects of Parental Substance Abuse Deborah Acker, RN, CFN Nurse Service Administrator Cabinet for Health and Family Services Department of Community Based Services Division of Protection and Permanency

2. Faculty Disclosure I do not have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.

3. Objectives Upon completion of the educational activity, you will be able to : • Describe the effects of parental substance on children.

4. The connection…. • The relationship between a substance use disorders (SUD) and child maltreatment is compelling and undeniable. • Studies suggest that SUDs can • Impair parent’s judgment and priorities • Influence discipline choices and child-rearing styles • Have negative effects on the consistency of care and supervision provided to children

5. … • More than 8 million children in the US live with at least one parent who abused or was dependent on drugs during the past year. • These children are nearly 3 times more likely to be abused and more than 4 times more likely to be neglected than children of parents who do not abuse substances.

6. … • Abused and neglected children from families affected by substance abuse are more likely to be placed in foster care and to remain there longer than maltreated children from families not affected by substance abuse.

7. Alcohol and Drug Use Continuum • Alcohol and drug use occurs along a continuum- use, abuse, dependency (mild, moderate, severe). • Not everyone who uses substances abuses or is dependent on them. • Full assessment is needed for accurate diagnosis and treatment recommendation. • All levels of substance use can have implications for child safety. Breshears & Young, 2004

8. Spectrum • Use: social, recreational, occasional • Abuse: negative consequences but continue to use substance • Dependence/Addiction: negative consequences PLUS • Tolerance • Withdrawal • Compulsive use

9. Addiction • Chronic • Often relapsing • Brain disorder • Causes compulsive drug seeking • Causes use despite harmful consequences • Changes the structure and function of the brain

10. Negative Consequences of SUDs • Loss of behavioral control • Passing out or blackouts • Behaving violently • Leaving children unsupervised • Neglecting children’s basic needs • Psychophysical withdrawal • Nausea/vomiting, feverish, sweaty, agitated, • Changes in eating or sleeping patterns • In advanced cases hallucinations may occur • Role maladaptation • Difficulties in properly caring for their children • Relationship problems, failure to keep a job, difficulties in paying the bills, criminal activity

11. Co-occurring issues • More numerous and complex issues • Child abuse and neglect seldom occur in a vacuum • Often experiencing several layers of problems • Common co-occurring issues • Mental Illness • Physical Health Problems • Domestic Violence and other forms of trauma • Poverty • Homelessness • Crime

12. Family Disease Substance abuse affects the entire family • The need for the substance puts a constant strain on financial resources, and the effects of the substance can threaten long-term employment. • The increasing stress level in the home can lead to arguing and hostility, verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, and overall chaos for the family. • The pandemonium in the home leads to anxiety, confusion, and conflict in the children who live there.

13. Family Disease cont. •No one member escapes the effect of a substance abuser in the home, which makes substance abuse a family disease. • Children whose parents or other siblings are alcoholics or drug users are at greater risk of developing a substance use disorder. Having an alcoholic family member doubles the risk of a male child later becoming alcohol or drug dependent. www.acde.org/health/riskfact.htm

14. The impact on child development • Disruption of the bonding process • Emotional, academic, and developmental problems • Lack of supervision • Parentification • Social stigma • Adolescent substance use and delinquency

15. So what can we do?

16. What can we do to help these children? • Nurture these children. • Try to understand the behaviors before punishment or consequences. • Interact with these children based on emotional age. • Be consistent, predictable and repetitive. • Model and teach appropriate social behaviors. • Listen to and talk with these children. • Have realistic expectations of these children.

17. So what else can we do? • Children often have misperceptions about their role in their parents’ problems. • One approach to helping children deal with issues associated with a parent’s SUD is the three C’s • You did not cause it. • You cannot control it. • You cannot cure it.