Comparing psychiatric symptoms among children of substance-abusing parents with different treatment histories

Abstract

It appears that no studies to date have compared the psychiatric functioning of children of substance-abusing parents (COSs) across substance abuse treatment histories (e.g., inpatient, outpatient, and residential). Different treatment histories may reflect differences in the severity of drug use, degree of impairment, or drug of choice, which may result in different symptomatology among COSs. Moreover, this information may be important for family-based treatment and prevention planning. In this study, we examine psychiatric symptoms experienced by children whose parents have different addiction treatment histories. Eighty-one parents in treatment for a substance use disorder who had two–eight-year-old children completed an anonymous, computerized assessment. Respondents reported on their child’s symptomatology as well as their own treatment history and current substance use. Overall, children were remarkably similar in psychiatric functioning and demographic characteristics across parents’ treatment histories. However, children whose parents had only received medication management or detoxification had significantly higher somatization scores, more social withdrawal, and greater attention problems than children whose parents received outpatient treatment (but not inpatient/residential treatment). Children whose parents had been treated in an inpatient or residential setting had marginally higher attention problems than children whose parents received outpatient treatment (but not inpatient/residential treatment). Differences across treatment histories were reflected in the severity of psychiatric symptomatology in the young children of parents in treatment. However, given the modest size of these differences, prevention and intervention programs with COSs may not need to be tailored as a function of parental treatment history as recruitment from various treatment centers may provide a sample with similar characteristics and risk profiles.