A new study in JAMA Pediatrics finds that nearly 19 million US children under the age of 18—about 1 in 4—live with at least one parent with a substance use disorder, a figure notably higher than earlier estimates that relied on older diagnostic criteria. This study used data from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, per NPR.
- Of those 19 million kids, 7.6 million have a parent with a moderate or severe addiction, and 3.4 million live with a parent dealing with multiple substance-use disorders. Authors also found that more than 6 million children have a parent dealing with both a substance use disorder and a mental health condition.
- Most parental substance-use disorders identified in the study involve alcohol, which remains the main cause of substance-related deaths in the US, per Dr. Scott Hadland, adolescent medicine chief at Massachusetts General Hospital.
- Experts say exposure to parental addiction can place children at increased risk for physical accidents, mental health conditions, and developing substance use problems themselves. Barriers to accessing care, including stigma, mean that most parents with a substance use disorder don't seek treatment.
- Hadland notes that these findings mean pediatricians need to be especially vigilant in screening families and connecting them to treatment. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends routine screening for substance use within families, and many clinics now ask about parental substance use as part of developmental screenings.
- The future of the survey from which the data was culled, meanwhile, is unclear following a recent workforce reduction. Per a release, the survey's entire staff was laid off in April due to budget cuts at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
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