Abstract
BackgroundBetween 2009 and 2014, nearly 3% of US children (age ≤ 17 years) lived in households with at least 1 parent with substance use disorder. The present systematic review aimed to evaluate effects of parental opioid use disorder on the parent–child relationship and child developmental and behavioral outcomes.MethodsSeveral databases were comprehensively searched for studies published from January 1980 through February 2018 that reviewed effects of parental opioid addiction on parent–child relationships and outcomes of children (age, 0–16 years).ResultsOf 304 unique studies, 12 evaluated effects of parental opioid addiction on the parent–child relationship as the primary outcome and on children’s outcomes, including behaviors and development. Observation of mother–child interaction showed that mothers with opioid use disorders are more irritable, ambivalent, and disinterested while showing greater difficulty interpreting children’s cues compared with the control group. Children of parents with opioid use disorders showed greater disorganized attachment; they were less likely to seek contact and more avoidant than children in the control group. The children also had increased risk of emotional and behavioral issues, poor academic performance, and poor social skills. Younger children had increased risk of abuse or neglect, or both, that later in life may lead to such difficulties as unemployment, legal issues, and substance abuse.ConclusionsCurrent evidence shows association between parental opioid addiction and poorer mother–child attachment and suboptimal child developmental and behavioral outcomes. Further research and treatment targeting children and families with parental opioid use are needed to prevent difficulties later in life.
Highlights
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported that between 2009 and 2014, nearly 3% (2.1 million) of US children age 17 years and younger lived in households with at least 1 parent struggling with a substance use disorder [1]
We asked whether opioid use are a risk factor for poor parenting skills and low parental functioning that correlates with a poor parent– child relationship and difficult behaviors in children
Reasons for exclusion were primarily based on opioid abuse as a part of polysubstance use without clear differentiation, lack of focus on parent–child relationship, and focus only on children or only on parents
Summary
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported that between 2009 and 2014, nearly 3% (2.1 million) of US children age 17 years and younger lived in households with at least 1 parent struggling with a substance use disorder [1]. Johnson and Rosen [3] described a group of mothers participating in a methadone treatment program whose children were overall relatively healthy (on the basis of physical and neurologic examinations and a battery of behavioral assessments). Between 2009 and 2014, nearly 3% of US children (age ≤ 17 years) lived in households with at least 1 parent with substance use disorder. The present systematic review aimed to evaluate effects of parental opioid use disorder on the parent–child relationship and child developmental and behavioral outcomes
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