Substance abuse or misuse is prospectively harmful and results in huge health risks. Abuse of drugs such as alcohol, and opioids can cause undesirable behavior, overdose, accidents and criminal activities. Cocaine and heroin use causes more harm than others do due to higher health and social risks such as acquisitive crime. The effects of substance abuse vary according to individuals, physical state, substance abused, psychological use, method of drug use, circumstances of drug use, location of use and the presence of other individuals at the time of use (The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, 2014). Parental substance abuse prevents a child from receiving the care they need from their parents. Children are social, emotional, physical, and intellectual developments are affected by their parents’ misuse of substances.
Social Impacts
Children raised by substance abusing parents often display unsociable behaviors. These children have low self-esteem since they feel like they are different from other children and worry that other children might find out about their parents substance abuse problem. they might also suffer from anxiety and depression; the anxiety mostly results from the constant fear that they might be abandoned by parents, fearing that parents might die, being afraid that parents do not love them or feel responsible for their parents misuse (Research in Practice, 2013). A study conducted indicated on 2-17 year old children whose parents were alcoholics show that displayed signs of anxiety, depression and antisocial behavior (Solis et al. 2012 p. 135). However, the study had some limitations since it is not clear if the behaviors are due to genetic or environmental factors. The study failed to capture the level of exposure to parental substance abuse, depression and anxiety. Children of substance abusing parents often have eating disorders such as bulimia; this is mostly connected to low self-esteem (The American Academy of Expeets in Traumatic Stress, 2014). Depending on severity, eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa cause other serious medical conditions and sometimes death. Children of substance abusing parents are often targets for bullying and stigma. The experiences at home do not give the children an opportunity to develop mediating skills needed to develop and maintain relationships. However, the children associating with approachable trustworthy adults might help break down the barriers of secrecy and denial affecting relationships. Parental anxiety caused by fear of stigmatization might result in them isolating their children from peers hence denying them the opportunity to socialize. Other children might respond to their parents’ substance abuse by staying away from home and associating with the wrong company. The children often run away to the streets due to neglect and increased incidences of domestic violence (Smith & Wilson 2016). Becoming homeless or entering the foster care system at such a young age results in poor outcomes in relation to education. Most of these young children often assume parenting roles at young ages. These children often end up ignoring their needs consequently denying them the opportunity to have a childhood.
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Intellectual Capabilities
Children with parents who abuse drugs display slow intellectual growth. These children often assume parental roles when parents fail to take responsibility; therefore, they may fail to attend classes and consequently disrupt the child’s education. The substance-abusing parents often place unrealistic expectations on the child’s abilities. They might expect their children to perform exceptionally in school yet they do not provide the necessary support. The children are often under pressure when they cannot achieve the expected grades and consequently give up on education. A study conducted on 184 10-14 year old boys with actively alcoholic fathers indicated that they performed worse than boys with social drinking fathers on intellectual functioning (Solis et al. 2012 p. 135). The study was only conducted on male children and the potential for genetic-environment interactions were not explored. Parental substance abuse and in particular alcoholism is associated with low academic functioning including failure to pursue secondary education, low grades and increased grade retention. Children of parents who abuse alcohol display weak capabilities in spelling, math and reading in middle childhood as compared to other children. A factor that might explain the relationship between parental substance abuse and academic problems indicate cognitive deficits that affect academic performance. However, the study on the relationship between the impacts of parental substance abuse and children’s cognitive development is inconsistent.
Physical Consequences
Children living with a parent or parents abusing substances are often exposed to physical effects. The children have access to drugs and paraphernalia at home hence exposing them to physical risk. Studies on children of substance abusers indicate that they have increased rates of physical illnesses caused by stress including asthma and colitis. The study indicated a 24% overall inpatient care, a 29% length of stay and 36% greater hospital charges for children of substance abusers. Admissions for poisoning, injuries, respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal diseases and mental disorders were also higher for children of substance abusers (The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, 2014). Children of substance abusers were most susceptible to alcoholism compared to children of non-alcoholic parents. Additionally they are more susceptible to drug dependence which when used with alcohol accounts for higher rates of hospitalization for accidental trauma and poisoning. Most substance-abusing parents are often violent on their children and use unconventional disciplinary measures that physically harm their children. A study conducted on 11, 662 adults who completed a 5-item assessment of abuse and neglect reported that parents with substance abuse problems reported physically abusive behaviors (Solis et al. 2012 p. 135). The study however had some limitations since the group studied was too large and parental self-report might be prone to bias.
Emotional Consequences
Children of substance abusing parents are often exposed to emotional consequences caused by the chaos at home. These children often develop trust issues stemming from their parents substance abuse problems. Parents with drug problems often display unpredictable behavior; for the children the rules are imposed according to the drugs the parents consume (Research in Practice, 2013). Inconsistency and instability leads to mistrust of parents and other adults. The constantly changing mood swings contribute to mistrust among the children. The situation often worsens when the parents quit drugs and relapse after a while hence emanating intense feelings of disappointment. Experiences at home often cultivate feelings of mistrust towards other adults sine they always expect thy will be let down (Calhoun et al. 2015 p. 6). The children often feel like the parents’ substance abuse problem is caused by a mistake they made hence fostering intense feelings of guilt. The children in the family often blame each other for triggering drinking sprees hence creating strained relationships in the family (The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, 2014). Children of substance abusers are often ashamed of their parents and may avoid friendships with peers since they cannot invite them to their houses for fear of meeting their drunk or high parents. The children of substance abusing parents often fail to validate their internal and external reality. For instance, a father may pass out in a drunken stupor and the mother tells the children that the parent is sick. A parent might suffer from blackouts, reveal inappropriate information to a child, and later deny having that conversation with the child hence causing confusion. The children might harbor strong positive and negative feelings toward the parents. For instance, a child might long for approval while at the same time hate the parent for substance abuse and consequently causer anger and resentment. The children live in constant fear that their anger towards their parents might cause abandonment (The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, 2014). Additionally they fear that their parents might die in accidents or overdose incidents. Inconsistent behavior among substance abusing parents is often frightening for children between the ages of 7-12; they find it hard to put their fears into words and consequently it manifests in behaviors such as bed wetting, rocking and sleeping problems (Research in Practice, 2013).
Conclusion
The essay successfully indicated that a child’s social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development are significantly affected by their parents’ misuse of substances. Children of substance abusing parents often suffer from anxiety, depression, anti-social behavior and low self-esteem. Either these children isolate themselves for fear of stigmatization or the experiences at home do not allow them to socialize. Low self-esteem often results from feelings of unworthiness; the children often feel like they are unworthy of love from their parents or that they might never be good enough. A study conducted indicated on 2-17 year old children whose parents were alcoholics show that displayed signs of anxiety, depression and antisocial behavior. Children of substance abusing parents often exhibit limited intellectual capabilities. These children often assume parental roles when parents fail to take responsibility; therefore, they may fail to attend classes and consequently disrupt the child’s education. A study conducted on 184 10-14 year old boys with actively alcoholic fathers indicated that they scored less than their peers with social drinking fathers on intellectual functioning did. Children with substance abusing parents are often exposed to injuries, respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, and accidental poisoning. Admission rates, length of hospital stay and hospital charges were found to be significantly higher in children with parents who abuse drugs. Children with substance abusing parents often harbor feelings of mistrust, guilt, shame, confusion, ambivalence, fear and insecurities. Most of these children often blame themselves for their parents’ substance abuse problems. Additionally they harbor feelings of mistrust resulting from constant let down from the parents. The disappointments the children experience often cultivate strong positive and negative feelings towards their parents.
References
Calhoun, S., Conner, E., Miller, M., & Messina, N. (2015). Improving the outcomes of children affected by parental substance abuse: a review of randomized controlled trials: Substance abuse and rehabilitation , 6 , 15.
M Solis, J., M Shadur, J., R Burns, A., & M Hussong, A. (2012). Understanding the diverse needs of children whose parent’s abuse substances. Current drug abuse reviews , 5 (2), 135-147.
Research in Practice (November 13, 2013). The impact of parental substance misuse on child development. Retrieved 29 June 2018 from http://www.cheshireeastlscb.org.uk/pdf/rip-frontline-impact-of-psm-briefing-web.pdf
Smith, V. C., & Wilson, C. R. (2016). Families affected by parental substance use. Pediatrics , e20161575.
The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. (2014). Effects of Parental Substance Abuse on Children and Families. Retrieved 29 June 2018 from http://www.aaets.org/article230.htm
