Running head: CHILDREN OF THE SUBSTANCE ABUSE WARS 9 Children of the Substance Abuse Wars Tiffany Seace, Veronica Webb, Julia Krueger, Rachel Losey, Emelda Isaac, Angel Reid BSHS/435 October 3, 2016 Dr. Vanessa Byrd Children of the Substance Abuse Wars Approximately 12% of children in the United States have one or both parents with substance abuse issues. According to David Sack (2013), more than 28 million American children have one parent who is addicted to alcohol but this addiction is not being discussed at home (Sack, 2013) and of those 11 million are under the age of 18 (Rodriquez, 2004). These children are at a higher risk of developing complex behavioral, academic, and emotional difficulties than other children. Children of addicts are four times more likely to marry an addict and are at risk of becoming a victim of abuse, neglect, or violence. Children of addicted parents are fiercely loyal to the parent. Adolescents are hesitant to open up and are vulnerable. They are reluctant to reveal parental confidences, even if they urgently need the help (Sack, 2013). Statistics of Children from Parental Substance Abuse Backgrounds It is important to analyze the severity of the problem before analyzing the effectiveness of counseling as a corrective measure. It is estimated that nearly 8.3 million children under the age of 18 live with at least one substance abusing/ dependent parent. Also, approximately more than half of child maltreatment cases in the United States were because of parental substance abuse in one way or another. Kirisci et al. (2002) stated that recent research has found that children of substance-addicted parents are more likely to suffer neglect or abuse than those children who do not have an addicted parent. Additionally, comparable to inattentive mothers and fathers, numerous substance-addicted parents were also mistreated and/or neglected as children (Dunn et al., 2001; Connors et al., 2004; Cash & Wilke, 2003), and describe other disturbing incidents as adults and children (Cohen et al., 2008). Wulczyn, Ernst & Fisher (2011) hypothesize that nearly 61% of infants and 41% of older children in the welfare system stem from families with active parental alcohol abuse issues. Children who enter the system as infants are more likely to spend a longer duration in care. Infants, especially those aged three months or younger, are more apt to be adopted and spend less or no time in group home placement. All children who enter out-of-home care are vulnerable to delays in social, emotional and cognitive development, which increases the risk of school failure, drug and alcohol abuse and criminality. The toxic stress levels that some infants endure links with developmental delays and poor outcomes for children who are the victims of abuse and neglect. Up to 80% of parents who are involved in the child welfare system are substance abusers, and many have had prior involvement with the system, either as chil ...

1. Running head: CHILDREN OF THE SUBSTANCE ABUSE
WARS 9
Children of the Substance Abuse Wars
Tiffany Seace, Veronica Webb, Julia Krueger, Rachel Losey,
Emelda Isaac, Angel Reid
BSHS/435
October 3, 2016
Dr. Vanessa Byrd
Children of the Substance Abuse Wars
Approximately 12% of children in the United States have one or
both parents with substance abuse issues. According to David
Sack (2013), more than 28 million American children have one
parent who is addicted to alcohol but this addiction is not being
discussed at home (Sack, 2013) and of those 11 million are
under the age of 18 (Rodriquez, 2004). These children are at a
higher risk of developing complex behavioral, academic, and

2. emotional difficulties than other children. Children of addicts
are four times more likely to marry an addict and are at risk of
becoming a victim of abuse, neglect, or violence. Children of
addicted parents are fiercely loyal to the parent. Adolescents are
hesitant to open up and are vulnerable. They are reluctant to
reveal parental confidences, even if they urgently need the help
(Sack, 2013).
Statistics of Children from Parental Substance Abuse
Backgrounds
It is important to analyze the severity of the problem before
analyzing the effectiveness of counseling as a corrective
measure. It is estimated that nearly 8.3 million children under
the age of 18 live with at least one substance abusing/
dependent parent. Also, approximately more than half of child
maltreatment cases in the United States were because of
parental substance abuse in one way or another.
Kirisci et al. (2002) stated that recent research has found that
children of substance-addicted parents are more likely to suffer
neglect or abuse than those children who do not have an
addicted parent. Additionally, comparable to inattentive
mothers and fathers, numerous substance-addicted parents were
also mistreated and/or neglected as children (Dunn et al., 2001;
Connors et al., 2004; Cash & Wilke, 2003), and describe other
disturbing incidents as adults and children (Cohen et al., 2008).
Wulczyn, Ernst & Fisher (2011) hypothesize that nearly 61% of
infants and 41% of older children in the welfare system stem
from families with active parental alcohol abuse issues.
Children who enter the system as infants are more likely to
spend a longer duration in care. Infants, especially those aged
three months or younger, are more apt to be adopted and spend
less or no time in group home placement. All children who
enter out-of-home care are vulnerable to delays in social,
emotional and cognitive development, which increases the risk
of school failure, drug and alcohol abuse and criminality. The
toxic stress levels that some infants endure links with

3. developmental delays and poor outcomes for children who are
the victims of abuse and neglect. Up to 80% of parents who are
involved in the child welfare system are substance abusers, and
many have had prior involvement with the system, either as
children or as parents.
Wilson, Dolan, Smith, Casanueva, & Ringeisen (2012) found
that when children remain in the homes after an investigation;
their primary caregivers had significant substance abuse issues.
It was discovered that there was a greater need for substance
abuse services for in-home caregivers that received child
welfare services than for adults countrywide.
Data has shown that exposure to drugs happens prenatally for
nearly 10% of newborns each year (Young, Gardener, Otero,
Dennis, Chang, Earle, & Amatetti, 2009). According to HHS
SAMHSA (2013), 8.5% of pregnant women aged between 15 to
44 years old were currently alcohol users at the time the report
was released. 2.7% of these women reported they had engaged
in binge drinking while pregnant, while 0.3% indicated that they
were heavy drinkers while pregnant. Freisthler & Gruenewald
(2013) found that parents, who regularly drank at home, in
parties, or in bars, were prone to abuse their children
physically. The parents’ routine placed their children at greater
risk of being physically abused. Such children are more than
likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, isolation,
domestic violence when they grow up as well as poverty.
Effects of School Counseling on Children in Addicted Families
The effects of parental substance abuse on children continue to
be a challenge, especially in the child welfare system. However,
many innovative techniques have been deployed to mitigate this
problem before it has long-lasting effects on the children
affected. One of these techniques is counseling.
The American Counseling Association defines counseling as the
“professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals,
families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness,
education, and career goals” (Kaplan, Tarvydas, & Gladding,
2014).

4. Counseling is a means of ensuring that these children grow up
to be happy and productive members of the society despite their
often-difficult upbringing. Counseling can be an essential and
effective treatment plan for children from substance abuse
backgrounds. One approach is to identify at-risk families early
enough and then provide counseling services to both parents and
their children. The Starting Early Starting Smart national
initiative incorporates counseling into its behavioral health
services that target at-risk homes. According to Morrow et al
(2010), the SESS program has been effective in promoting,
coordinating, and improving access to such behavioral services
to high-risk caregivers in the pediatric setting. The study also
highlights the importance of consistent public health focus on
the behavioral health care needs (counseling or otherwise) of at-
risk families with young children.
Counseling will also be beneficial in helping the child
understand that his parent’s substance abuse issue is not his
fault. More often than not, children from these backgrounds
blame themselves for their parents’ struggle with drug and
alcohol abuse. Such feelings often result in self-harm,
depression, as well as engaging in addictive behavior.
Counseling can help identify such potential issues and mitigate
them before it is too late.
The concerns of drug use, relapse prevention and the stresses of
child-rearing must be taken into account. Countless drug
involved mothers and fathers have difficult choices in coping
with their treatment struggles and encountering their family
obligations. Because of their dependence, they do not have the
skills to undertake good child-rearing responsibilities or to be a
caring part of their family (Gruber, Fleetwood & Herring,
2001).
The Need for Further Research
Further research into the actual statistics of the effect of
counseling on children from substance abuse backgrounds needs
to be carried out. There is a shocking lack of literature on how
effective counseling can be to these children including the

5. stages at which counseling is most effective. There are targeted
grants to increase the well-being of, and improve the
permanency outcomes for children affected by
methamphetamine or other substance abuse. The information
received through further research will help prevent substance
abuse and child maltreatment.
According to Dubowitz, Kim, Black, Weisbart, Semiatin, &
Magder, (2011), Child Protective Services (CPS) data covers
low-income families. Based on the results of the analysis
children without a prior CPS report and with complete data
which were followed for an average of 10 years, (43%) later had
a CPS report. This information will allow professionals to
strengthen families, support parents and potentially help prevent
child maltreatment.
Statement of the Research Problem
The problem area identified in this paper is the effect that
counseling might have on children with parents that suffer from
substance abuse issues. Many of the children with parents that
have substance abuse issues are more susceptible to
maltreatment, emotional and physical neglect, as well as sexual
abuse. The counselor needs to have a thorough understanding of
how to identify behaviors that suggest a child may come from a
parental substance abuse background. Research has found that
counseling does have positive and cumulative effects on such
children, but more research needs to be carried out in this area.
Conclusion
The literature reviewed revealed children from substance abuse
backgrounds contend with several challenges. The children
experience physical, emotional, behavioral, and mental
consequences because of their parents’ substance abuse issues.
The research has also uncovered that the majority of children
from such backgrounds end up in out of home welfare settings.
Those who remain in their homes with their parents tend to
receive more child welfare services than other children from
other backgrounds. The research also identifies counseling as
the primary intervention technique for these children, helping

6. them realize their potential and deal with other issues through
counseling sessions.
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