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Hospitalisations and out-of-home placements of children of substance-abusing mothers: a register-based cohort study
Kirsimarja Raitasalo1, Marja Holmila, Ilona Autti-Rämö
1Alcohol and Drugs, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland.
Insights
Children of mothers with substance abuse problems face increased hospitalizations for injuries and illnesses, and are more likely to be placed out of home. Combined alcohol and drug abuse poses the greatest risk.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Addiction Medicine
Background:
- Maternal substance abuse is a significant public health concern with potential adverse effects on child welfare.
- Understanding the specific risks associated with different types of substance abuse is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal substance abuse and child hospitalizations due to injury or illness.
- To determine the frequency of out-of-home placements for children of substance-abusing mothers.
- To examine how the type of substance (alcohol vs. drugs) used by the mother impacts child outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective population-based cohort study utilizing Finnish health and social welfare registers.
- Inclusion of all children born in Finland in 2002 and their biological mothers.
- Follow-up of children for seven years, analyzing hospitalizations, out-of-home placements, and maternal substance abuse types using logistic regression.
Main Results:
- Approximately 2% of mothers exhibited substance abuse problems, with alcohol abuse being more prevalent than drug abuse.
- Children of mothers with substance abuse issues experienced higher rates of hospitalization for injuries and infectious diseases.
- These children were also significantly more likely to be placed out of home; combined alcohol and drug abuse presented a greater risk than single-substance abuse.
Conclusions:
- Maternal substance abuse negatively impacts a child's immediate environment, compromising their health and safety.
- The findings highlight the need for early detection and support for families affected by maternal substance abuse to mitigate risks to children.
Introduction And Aims:
To study (i) whether the children of substance-abusing mothers are hospitalised because of injury or illness more often than other children; (ii) how often these children are placed out of home; and (iii) how the type of substance used by the mother affects her children.
Design And Methods:
This was a retrospective population-based cohort study based on Finnish health care and social welfare registers. The participants were all children born in Finland in 2002 (n = 55,369) and their biological mothers (n = 54,519). Mothers with register entries related to substance abuse in the period 1998-2009 were defined as having a substance abuse problem. Children were followed up for their first seven years of life for hospitalisations because of injuries and infectious diseases and out-of-home placements. The associations between hospitalisation and out-of-home care and mothers' type of substance abuse were estimated using logistic regression. The child's gender and the mother's psychiatric disorders and socio-demographic characteristics obtained from the registers were standardised in the final models.
Results:
Based on the register data, 2% of mothers had a substance abuse problem. Alcohol problems were more common than drug problems. Children with substance-abusing mothers were more often hospitalised because of injuries and infectious diseases than other children. They had also been placed out of home more often. Mothers' abuse of both alcohol and drugs was a bigger risk for the child than solely alcohol or solely drug abuse.
Discussion And Conclusions:
The mother's substance abuse has negative outcomes on the child's immediate environment, which affects the health and safety of the child.
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