Drug-Abusing Mothers Place Their Children at Risk

By Julie McDowell

Children born and raised by addicted mothers face a high risk of developing significant physical, academic, and emotional problems, according to a recent study looking at families during intake to residential substance abuse treatment programs.

The study, published earlier this year in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, examined data from the Residential Women and Children/Pregnant and Postpartum Women programs, funded by SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) between 1996 and 2000.

"Children of Mothers with Serious Substance Abuse Problems: An Accumulation of Risks" was written by seven authors. These authors are Nicola A. Conners, Ph.D., Robert H. Bradley, Ph.D., Leanne Whiteside Mansell, Ed.D., Jeffrey Y. Liu, M.P.A., Tracy J. Roberts, M.P.A., Ken Burgdorf, Ph.D., and also James M. Herrell, Ph.D., M.P.H., of CSAT.

The 4,084 children age 17 and younger analyzed in the study were identified as vulnerable to a wide range of risk factors from conception through childhood.

A majority of the children experienced prenatal exposure to alcohol, drugs, and cigarette smoke. Nearly a quarter of the children had health problems—asthma and problems with vision and hearing were two to seven times more common than among children in general.

During early childhood, these children faced numerous roadblocks to success, including maternal mental illness, caregiver instability, child abuse and neglect, and little involvement with fathers.

Of the 2,746 mothers surveyed, a majority were chronic drug users who had been using alcohol or other drugs for an average of 15.9 years before entering a treatment program. Most of the women—85.9 percent—had been in treatment before. Crack/cocaine was the most common (50.4 percent), followed by alcohol (13 percent), amphetamines (11.1 percent), and heroin (8.8 percent).

A majority of the women were unemployed (88.9 percent), lacked a high school degree or GED (51.7 percent), and relied on public financial assistance (70.6 percent). In addition, 32 percent of these women had been homeless in the 2 years prior to entering treatment.

"There is some evidence to suggest that most women lacked social support from non-drug-involved family, friends, or partners," the authors state in the article. ". . . Three-fourths of women (79.3 percent) reported that their family members were involved in alcohol or drug-related activities, and 42.9 percent reported having fewer than two friends that did not use drugs."

For the complete article, see Conners NA, Bradley RH, Mansell LW, Liu JY, Roberts TJ, Burgdorf K, Herrell JM. Children of mothers with serious substance abuse problems: an accumulation of risks. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2004;30(1):85-100.

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