title: Children of substance abusers: the life experiences of children of opiate addicts in methadone maintenance.
abstract: We interviewed 70 substance abusers in methadone maintenance treatment regarding the life experiences of their 188 children. Sixty-four percent of the mothers reported using psychoactive drugs during their pregnancies. Eighty percent of parents reported an arrest during the time the child was growing up, 34% reported receiving treatment for an emotional disorder, and 14% were hospitalized. Four percent of the parents reported that their children had been placed in adoptive care, 9% in foster care, and 1% had a child in a group home. Forty-one percent of the parents reported that at least one of their children repeated a grade in school, 19% were involved in truancy, and 30% had been suspended from school. Twenty percent of parents reported their children's involvement with the law, and 17% reported drug or alcohol use. Problems with the law correlated highly with 1) being held back a grade, 2) truancy, 3) suspension from school, 4) expulsion from school, and 5) treatment for alcohol or drug abuse.
authors.affiliation: Addiction Research Center, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Kolar
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Haertzen
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Michaelson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010553:Personality Development; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D008691:Methadone