Parental substance abuse has a devastating effect on children’s mental health. It often leads to emotional, mental, and social challenges ranging from low self-esteem to behavioral problems and beyond. Tragically, substance abuse is a serious public health concern in the United States that affects adults and children alike, with millions being raised in homes affected by it.
In this article, we will explore the impact of parental substance abuse on children’s mental health, covering the main challenges children of parents struggling with substance abuse face.
6 Ways in Which Parental Substance Abuse Affects Children’s Mental Health
Parental substance abuse can have grave effects on children’s mental health, increasing the risk of psychiatric disorders, behavioral problems, low self-esteem, substance abuse issues, and more.
Let’s discuss the impact of parental substance abuse on children’s mental health in greater depth:
#1. Increased Risk of Anxiety and Depression
Children whose parents struggle with substance abuse face a higher risk of developing anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric disorders.
A study done by researchers from the University of Helsinki found that parental substance abuse predicts psychiatric morbidity in children aged 15–25. While no specific sensitive age periods were found, the study suggests that the risk of offspring psychiatric morbidity increases with repeated exposure to parental substance abuse.
Substance abuse creates an unpredictable home environment where parents struggle to meet their children’s needs. Furthermore, children of parents with substance abuse problems are often forced to take care of their parents and siblings.
Such parentification, inconsistency, and lack of responsiveness from parents can cause children to experience high levels of insecurity, fear, sadness, and anxiety.
#2. Higher Risk of Developing Substance Abuse Issues
Children with a history of parental substance abuse may be more susceptible to substance abuse issues. Since they grow up in an environment where this is normalized, they may mimic their parents’ behavior and use substances as a coping mechanism.
Importantly, prenatal substance exposure significantly increases the risk of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Primarily associated with opioid use during pregnancy, this condition affects children of mothers who use drugs while pregnant. Simply put, babies with NAS are born dependent on drugs they’ve been exposed to while still in the womb.
Upon birth, such newborns suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms. They also face a high risk of complications, such as seizures, psycho-behavioral problems, and even sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
If you are planning to have a baby while struggling with opioid use disorder or another substance use disorder, it’s in your and your child’s best interest to get professional help.
#3. Difficulty Forming Healthy Relationships
Inconsistent caregiving can cause children to develop an insecure attachment, which may cause challenges in forming healthy relationships. Such children may struggle with a fear of intimacy, an inability to trust others, and difficulty opening up, all of which can make it hard for them to connect with others.
Furthermore, children whose parents have substance abuse problems tend to be socially isolated, which can further worsen any mental health problems they’re facing.
#4. Struggles With Learning
The negative impact of paternal substance abuse on children’s mental health and development is also often visible in educational settings.
While prenatal exposure to substances can affect children’s cognitive development, those who grow up with parents abusing substances are also more likely to struggle with learning disabilities and poor academic performance.
Parental substance abuse causes stress and instability, which can make it harder for children to focus on education. Their performance at school may also suffer due to irregular attendance, difficulty forming relationships with peers, and mental health problems.
#5. Behavioral Problems
Paternal substance abuse considerably increases the likelihood of behavioral problems, such as acting out, impulsivity, emotional outbursts, and withdrawal.
Children from families with substance abuse problems are often abused and neglected, which can lead to frustration, anxiety, and sadness. However, they may not know how to express these feelings; after all, substance abuse often impairs parents’ ability to teach emotional regulation skills.
Plus, maternal substance use disorders may increase the risk of disorders that may affect children’s behavior. For instance, a study by Valerie S. Knopik et al. suggests that there’s a genetic link between maternal alcohol use disorder and offspring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Maternal smoking was also found to increase the risk of ADHD in children.
#6. Low Self-Esteem
Parental substance abuse can take a toll on children’s self-esteem. Children of parents with substance abuse problems often feel neglected and unloved, causing them to believe that they are not good enough or worthy of their parents’ love.
Moreover, such children may struggle with feelings of shame and embarrassment, especially if others are aware of their home situation. Sadly, it’s not uncommon for children to blame themselves for parental substance abuse, which only lowers their self-esteem.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you found this article helpful in learning more about the impact of parental substance abuse on children’s mental health.
The challenges children growing up around substance abuse face are deeply intertwined. For instance, parental substance abuse can cause low self-worth and difficulty forming healthy relationships. Simultaneously, relationship issues can lead to low self-worth, and vice versa.
Since parental neglect can affect all areas of life, breaking the cycle of substance abuse is of vital importance to your child’s mental, emotional, physical, and social well-being.