Alcohol and drug disorders among physically abusive and neglectful parents in a community-based sample.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency of substance use disorders and symptoms between adults reporting child physical abuse or neglect and individually matched control subjects in a community sample. METHODS. In a nested case-control study, 169 adults reporting physical abuse of a child and 209 adults reporting neglect of a child from 11,662 individuals successfully interviewed in a probabilistic survey in four communities were individually matched with control subjects drawn from the participants. Case subjects were compared with control subjects on the number of alcohol- or drug-related symptoms and disorder diagnoses as determined by symptoms from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. RESULTS. Respondents reporting either physical abuse or neglect of children were much more likely than their matched control subjects to report substance abuse or dependence. These differences persisted after potential confounding variables were controlled for. CONCLUSIONS. Parental substance abuse and dependence, independent of confounding factors, are highly associated with child maltreatment. Inconsistent results in previous studies may have arisen from reliance on referred samples and unstandardized assessment methods. Agencies involved in the care of abused or neglected children and their families should consider incorporating routine substance abuse evaluations with treatment, or referral for treatment, where indicated.

Relative contributions of parent substance use and childhood maltreatment to chronic homelessness, depression, and substance abuse problems among homeless women: mediating roles of self-esteem and abuse in adulthood

“…However, these findings arise within a sample of disadvantaged, homeless women wherein range restrictions, and ceiling and floor effects might have made it more difficult to find such relationships. We had hypothesized that childhood abuse and parent substance use, the two separate indicators representing childhood family dysfunction, would be positively related to each other as the literature has suggested (e.g., Felitti et al, 1998;Fleming, 1998;Kelleher et al, 1994;Sheridan, 1995); that prediction was supported in our results. We found a powerful relationship between childhood abuse and parent drug abuse, and further influences of these variables on the outcomes and mediators of this study.…”

Mortality Risk Associated with Perinatal Drug and Alcohol Use in California

“…3 Consistent with our findings, others have noted a relationship between maternal drug and alcohol use during pregnancy and increased postneonatal mortality. 18,20,21 A limitation of this study was the reliance on diagnostic codes, which may underestimate the number of drug-and alcoholexposed births. In a large 1992 drug screening study, 11.35% of women presenting in California hospitals for delivery tested positive for illicit drugs or alcohol.…”

“…19 Researchers have also looked at the association between parental drug and alcohol use and child maltreatment, which demonstrated an increase in morbidity and mortality in children. 20,21 In addition, alcohol use during pregnancy has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality in infants and children. 21 Since mortality is a rare outcome, many studies suffer from small sample sizes and therefore, analyses may under-or overestimate the impact of drug use on mortality.…”

Risk factors for disruption in primary caregiving among infants of substance abusing women

“…Substance abusing mothers are more likely than nonsubstance abusing mothers to have been referred previously to child protective service agencies, to be rated by court investigators as presenting a high risk to their children, to reject court-ordered services, and to have their children permanently removed (Bays, 1990(Bays, , 1992Behling, 1979;Black & Mayer, 1980;Deren, 1986;Famularo, Kinscherff, & Fenton, 1992;Gabel & Shindledecker, 1993;Kelleher, Chaffin, Hollenberg, & Fischer, 1994;Murphy, Jellinek, Quinn, Smith, Poitrast, & Goshko, 1991). In addition to substance abuse, families of children removed from parental custody due to abuse/neglect often experience high levels of violence and stress (Famularo et al, 1992).…”