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Substance use disorder among adoptees: a clinical comparative study
Joe Westermeyer1, Linda Bennett, Paul Thuras
1University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. weste010@umn.edu
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
|July 7, 2007
Summary
Adoptees are 14 times more likely to be in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. While their childhoods resemble those with parental SUD, their SUD severity is milder, similar to non-adoptees without a family history of SUD.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Genetics
- Public Health
Background:
- Substance Use Disorder (SUD) affects a significant portion of the population.
- Genetic and environmental factors contribute to SUD risk.
- The specific risk and clinical presentation of SUD in adoptees require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if adoptees are overrepresented in clinical samples of patients with SUD.
- To compare demographic and clinical characteristics of adoptees with SUD versus non-adoptees with SUD.
Main Methods:
- A clinical sample of 608 patients from two alcohol-drug treatment programs was analyzed.
- Data were collected using validated instruments including the Childhood Problems Scale and the Michigan Assessment-Screening Test/Alcohol-Drug.
Main Results:
- Adoptees were found to be 14 times more prevalent in the SUD patient sample than expected (95% CI, 10 to 18).
- Adoptees' childhood histories were similar to non-adoptees with parental SUD.
- Adoptees with SUD showed milder SUD severity and treatment needs, resembling non-adoptees without parental SUD.
Conclusions:
- Adoptees face an elevated risk for developing SUD.
- Adoptive families should be aware of this increased risk.
- Clinicians should anticipate that adoptees may present with less severe SUD compared to non-adoptees with a family history of SUD.
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