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Parental prescription opioid abuse and the impact on children

Lisham Ashrafioun1, Christina M Dambra, Richard D Blondell

  • 1Department of Family Medicine, Erie County Medical Center, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA. Lashraf@bgsu.edu

The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
|August 20, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Parental opioid abuse characteristics, including non-medical prescription opioid use and criminal history, are linked to greater child global impairment. Identifying these factors helps clinicians assess children needing mental health services.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Addiction Medicine
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Opioid abuse among parents poses risks to child well-being.
  • Understanding parental factors associated with child impairment is crucial for intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify specific characteristics of opioid-abusing parents associated with increased global impairment in their children.
  • To inform clinical assessments for children at risk due to parental substance abuse.

Main Methods:

  • 14 parents in a chemical dependency unit with children aged 4-17 participated.
  • Child global impairment was assessed using the parent-reported Brief Impairment Scale (BIS).
  • Regression analyses identified parental characteristics linked to child BIS scores.

Main Results:

  • Moderate global impairment was observed in the children (mean BIS score 15.5).
  • Parental non-medical prescription opioid acquisition, increased arrests, intravenous drug use, and prior substance abuse treatment episodes were associated with higher child BIS scores.

Conclusions:

  • Specific parental opioid abuse indicators can help identify children at risk for impairment.
  • Early identification facilitates timely access to necessary mental health services for affected children.
  • Further research is needed due to study limitations.
Abstract

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