Drug-Abusing Father's and the Effect on Their Children

[cynical one]

Drug-Abusing Father's and the Effect on Their Children
HealthNewsDigest.com - July 12, 2004
Study Is First to Link Drug-Abusing Fathers to Serious Psychopathology in Their Children

Problems markedly worse than in children with alcoholic fathers or non-abusing fathers.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- (HealthNewsDigest.com)...A study by researchers at the University at Buffalo and Old Dominion University has found that being raised by a father who abuses drugs is even more harmful to the mental health of school-aged children than being raised by a father who is an alcoholic.

The study, one of the few to focus on children living with drug-addicted fathers, found that such children exhibit significantly higher levels of worrying, anxiety, depression, behavioral acting out, and other antisocial behaviors than do children in families with alcoholic fathers or families in which neither parent abused drugs.

"Many studies have assumed that children of alcoholics and children of drug abusers were very similar," said William Fals-Stewart, Ph.D., lead investigator and a senior research scientist at UB's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA).

"Our findings, however, indicate that fathers who are drug abusers expose their children to more conflict, poorer parenting and greater physical violence between the parents than do alcoholic fathers. Drug addicted fathers also tend to watch over their children less well than alcoholic fathers.

"As a result," he says, "children being raised by drug-abusing fathers have more emotional and behavioral problems than children whose fathers are alcoholic."

Previous research, for instance, has found that witnessing violence at home undermines a child's sense of personal security. This study found that children of drug-abusing fathers were more likely to witness violence in their homes than are children of alcoholic fathers.

Drug-addicted fathers in the study also exhibited more dysfunctional disciplinary practices with their children. In particular, they tended to over-react to a child's misbehavior . This, says Fals-Stewart, appears partially responsible for the higher levels of anxiety, fearfulness, helplessness, and ultimately, depression found in their children.

"Earlier studies identified some areas of disturbance in early childhood among children of drug abusers, including attention problems," he adds, "but offered little evidence of the global psychiatric impairment we found here."

The study also found that:
-- Mothers' parenting practices did not vary significantly across family types. Mothers in homes with drug-addicted fathers -- none of the mothers in the study were addicted to drugs or alcohol. -

-- Drug-abusing fathers reported a significantly lower level of paternal monitoring of child behavior than did alcoholic or non-substance-abusing fathers. The researchers say that paternal monitoring appears related to the level of acting-out behavior of children studied. This finding supports a substantial body of earlier research that links low levels of parental monitoring with delinquency and antisocial behavior.

The study found that parenting behavior and levels of parental conflict affect children's mental health. This contradicts prior attempts to attribute all effects of family distress on children to parenting problems alone.

The study consisted of 120 custodial couples with children ages 8-12. One child (the "target child") in that age group was studied in each family.
Forty families had fathers who met the American Psychological Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th ed. (DSM-IV) criteria for current cocaine or opiate dependence.

The emotional and behavioral adjustment of target children was assessed through interviews with parents, teachers and the children themselves. Researchers also used a number of well-documented measurement tools to assess the children's depressive symptoms, levels of anxiety and acting out behavior, levels and types of parental conflict in the home, parenting monitoring behavior, and the level of dysfunctional discipline practiced by parents.

The other investigators on the study were Michelle L. Kelley Ph.D. professor of psychology at Old Dominion University; and James Golden and Timothy Logsdon RIA project staff associate and counselor respectively.

The Research Institute on Addictions has been a leader in the study of addictions since 1970 and a research center of the University at Buffalo since 1999. The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York. UBs more than 27000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate graduate and professional degree programs.

[Mis]

I recently gave birth to my little angel. (less than a month ago ) His dad is not in the picture because i refused to allow my child to grow up around someone that abuses drugs. This article reaffirms my decision. Thank you for the posting!

[imallright]

Thanks Cynical... I have had a "front row seat" to the psychological damage a drug addicted Dad can inflict... Mis.... congratulations on the new arrival and to you for being so strong and making a very wise (IMO) decision for you and your baby.

[sojourner]

I was raised in a home with a father addicted to alcohol. When i married a man who i later learned was addicted to cocaine, i was absolutely derailed by the depth of immorality that i had to deal with on a daily basis. I then realized how my father was able to provide for his family and provide a level of stability compared to what i lived with in husband's cocaine addiction. It took a good 2 years after he left the home to fully recover from the shock of it all.

I pray for the sober parent with dependent children who thinks they have it together enough to stay with an active addict, who thinks that their "good parenting" can neutralize the effect of the active addict on those children. I have yet to see that turn out like that sober parent thought it would. And i'm old enough now to be able to see the fruits of people's decisions.

When I decided to raise my children apart from active addiction, it was a scary, scary step. I had 3 boys under the age of 5, and my job skills were such that i could not make enough money to support all of us. But God is good and faithful. And my 3 sons (even the one who is now struggling with drugs) have awesome memories of their younger years. They realize as young adults how they have been spared the nightmare that could have been had I not removed them and me from active addiction.

Thanks for putting that article on.

[Suspicious]

I noticed in the article that it seemed to focus on cocaine & opiate addiction. Not sure about cocaine but with opiates it numbs the addict so they are unable to feel... wonder if it is connected to this. The kids sense the emotional withdrawal of the parent even tho the parent tries to act like they feel. It would have to be hard thinking that your parent doesnt love you. Wouldnt matter to them that it is just that the addict CAN'T feel.

[SpeedyJason]

Originally Posted by Suspicious

It would have to be hard thinking that your parent doesnt love you.

Yeah, it was. I think my sister felt that way for a long time too.

I can't say I completely agree with this article though... children of alcoholics are still going through the same emotional trauma and I don't get how they can say "It's worse living with a drug-addicted father." Both alcoholics and substance abusers can be violent. Both can't "feel" correctly (if that makes any sense). You can't really judge that one is worse than the other, in my opinion.

[outtolunch]

Originally Posted by Suspicious

I noticed in the article that it seemed to focus on cocaine & opiate addiction. Not sure about cocaine but with opiates it numbs the addict so they are unable to feel... wonder if it is connected to this. The kids sense the emotional withdrawal of the parent even tho the parent tries to act like they feel. It would have to be hard thinking that your parent doesnt love you. Wouldnt matter to them that it is just that the addict CAN'T feel.

This is such a slippery slope . The world is full of parents who never quite bond with/ withdraw from their children or abuse their children without drugs or alcohol being an issue. People withdraw for so many different reasons, including cultural values, their own issues, preoccupation with themselves, anger management issues, mental illness, the need to work multiple jobs and on and on.

I can't get my head around broad generalizations.