2021, Vol. 1, Issue 1, Part A

Author(s)
Akasapu Soujanya and V Shashanka

Abstract
Introduction and Background: For families, especially children, there are devastating psychological and social effects of substance addiction, making it a major public health concern. This study seeks to assess the mental health complications experienced by children whose parents abuse several substances, as well as to investigate the correlation between the degree of parental substance use and the mental health problems experienced by their children.Materials and Methods: A tertiary care mental institution undertook this cross-sectional investigation from December 2019 November 2020 at Department of Psychiatry, Nootan Institute of Medical Sciences, Visnagar, Mehsana, Gujarat, India. 150 children, ranging in age from six to sixteen, whose parents met the DSM-5 criteria for poly-substance use disorder, were included in the study. The 150 children in the control group were all of the same age and sex and came from homes where drug misuse had never occurred. Participant recruitment was carried out through de-addiction programs and outpatient psychiatry clinics. Results: The control group had 29% of its members suffer from a psychiatric condition, while 67% of the 150 offspring of poly-substance abusers (n=44) did (p<0.001). Psychiatric morbidity was more common in children whose parents abused substances severely (daily or multiple-drug usage) than in children whose parents used substances sometimes. A substantial correlation between emotional neglect and internalizing disorders was found, while exposure to domestic violence was a strong predictor of externalizing disorders. Conclusion: Psychiatric illnesses are more common in children of parents who abuse several substances than in children from families where no substance abuse occurs. Efforts should be made to end the generational transmission of mental health and substance abuse problems by bolstering family support systems, expanding access to mental health treatments for children, and coordinating treatment for parents who abuse substances with child welfare programs.

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