Effects of parental substance abuse on child and family outcomes

¶ … Parental Substance Abuse on Children and Families

Parental substance abuse has become a major issue in today\'s society given its increased prevalence and despite its adverse effects. This paper examines the impact of parental substance abuse on children and families. The hypothesis to be tested in this proposed study is, \"Parental substance abuse results in poor family functioning and poor outcomes in children.\" This study is carried out on the premise that the effects of parental substance abuse are clearly documented in existing literature. The proposal study seeks to incorporate research participants from a group of children and young people receiving support services from different intervention programs in Hoboken area in New Jersey. The main data collection methods for this proposed research will be a formal standardized questionnaire and interview of the participants. The study is expected to demonstrate a positive link between the research variables i.e. that parental substance abuse contributes to poor outcomes in children and poor family functioning.

Effects of Parental Substance Abuse on Children and Families

Parental substance abuse is one of the major issues that has generated considerable concerns in the public health sector given its prevalence. It is estimated that more than 10% of children in the United States live in households with parents with problems or difficulties of substance abuse. Parental substance abuse continues to spread despite existing evidence that establishes it as a risk factor for poor family functioning and poor outcomes in children (Lewis et al., 2014). While parental substance abuse has been established as a risk factor for poor family functioning and poor outcomes in children, there is limited evidence to demonstrate the actual effects of parental substance abuse on children and families. The lack of sufficient evidence continues to exist despite the tremendous increase of parental substance abuse and its consideration as a major public health issue/concern. Therefore, it is important to examine the effects of parental substance abuse on children and families. This study examines this issue with a view of addressing this public health issue and promoting effective family functioning.

Importance of the Study, Research Variables, and Hypothesis

The study is important in order to provide insights on the extent with which parental substance abuse affects families and children. The insights obtained from this study can be utilized to inform public health practices to address parental substance abuse and providing necessary support to affected parents towards effective parenting. Through the study, the researcher will provide insights on the risk factors family members and children face due to parental substance abuse, which can be utilized to design intervention programs. The hypothesis that will be tested in this study is, \"Parental substance abuse results in poor family functioning and poor outcomes in children.\" The independent variable in this study is parental substance abuse while the dependent variables are poor family functioning and poor outcomes in children.

Literature Review

The impact of parental substance abuse on children and families is an issue that has obtained considerable attention in the recent past. The attention is attributable to the fact that substance abuse is a major public health issue for all kinds of people regardless of age and/or socio-economic status. Parental substance abuse has increased tremendously in the recent past as alcohol and substance abuse continues to be major problem in public health. Lewis et al. (2014) contends that parental substance abuse is highly prevalent as many children and family members are forced to live in households with parents engaged in substance abuse. According to Calhoun (2015), substance abuse is a major public health concern that has been found to have considerable impacts on the user as well as children and other family members. Since the family acts as the basic source of attachment, socialization and nurturing for all individuals, parental substance abuse affects the entire family (Lander, Howsare & Bryne, 2013; Snyder & Smith, 2015; Calhoun et al., 2015).

Poor Outcomes in Children

Lewis et al. (2014) states that parental substance abuse has been identified as a major risk factor for poor outcomes in children. Children with parents engaging in substance abuse have been found to have poor outcomes because of exposure to high rates of physical and sexual abuse, maltreatment, behavioral and social problems, and neglect. In concurrence, Calhoun et al. (2015) state that children with parents who have substance abuse problems have been found to have increased risks of numerous problems emerging from neglect, maltreatment, and abuse. As parental substance abuse generates numerous problems for children, it negatively impacts the physical and emotional well-being of children (Calhoun et al., 2015; Lewis et al., 2014; Lander, Howsare & Bryne, 2013).

According to Jackson (2013), parental substance abuse affects the users through generating psychiatric and mood disorders. These disorders in turn inhibit the capability of these parents to utilize proper child-rearing techniques and effectively respond to their children\'s needs. Consequently, the children experience numerous problems that endanger their physical, psychological, and emotional well-being. Jackson (2013) further contends that the failure by parents to utilize proper child-rearing techniques and be responsive to their children\'s needs engender behavioral problems and mood disorders for the child. Lewis et al. (2014) concurs with Jackson (2013) by arguing that numerous studies have indicated that parenting practices in families where parents engage in substance abuse tend to inconsistent and characterized by less emotional attachment. As a result, these children experience financial challenges, social isolation, and exposure to stress, which in turn generates physical and emotional well-being problems. Similarly, Calhoun et al. (2015) states that parental substance abuse contributes to the development of home environments where children are increasingly at risk of physical, mental, and behavioral problems.

Adolescents\' Substance Abuse

Lander, Howsare & Bryne (2013) state that parental substance is linked to high risks of development of substance abuse disorders among children, especially during adolescence. Snyder & Smith (2015) support these claims by arguing that existing literature has well established the nexus between parental substance abuse and adolescent substance use. In an earlier study, Jackson (2013) contends that parental substance abuse provides avenues for children to turn to drugs and alcohol in order to deal with the problems they experience in life. Children turn to drugs and alcohol because parental substance abuse contributes to lack of parental control or the lack of autonomy to make independent decisions and choices. In some cases, parental substance abuse contributes to little parental control due to strained emotional and social attachment between children and their parents. In other situations, parental substance abuse contributes to lack of autonomy through making parents to be overly controlling, harsh in discipline, and intrusive (Jackson, 2013). Calhoun et al. (2015) concurs on the premise that parental substance abuse increases the risks and likelihood of children to turn to drugs and alcohol because of its impact on child-rearing and parenting practices.

Poor Family Functioning

Calhoun et al. (2015) states that the effect of parental substance abuse on family functioning can be severe, particularly in relation to parenting practices and child care. Parental substance abuse contributes to poor family functioning through generating improper parenting practices and negative behavioral displays. Lander, Howsare & Bryne (2013) provide a different perspective on how parental substance abuse contributes to poor family functioning. These researchers argue that parental substance abuse affects proper family functioning through negatively impacting family attachment, socialization, and nurturing practices. In this regard, every member of the family suffers from unmet developmental needs, financial hardships, emotional distress, legal problems, and even violence. On the contrary, Jackson (2013) states that parental substance abuse affects family functioning through generating family disruption, which negatively affects family structure. Family disruption basically entails the creation of strained relationships between parents and other family members.

Most of existing studies on the effects of parental substance abuse on children and families demonstrate that parental substance abuse is strongly linked to poor developmental and health outcomes for children and poor family functioning. These findings could help my current study with regards to understanding how parental substance abuse affect children and the family.

Research Methodology

The research methodology that will be utilized for this study is quantitative research, which is an approach that is suitable for testing the relationship between research variables (Creswell, 2014). The nature of this requires testing the link between parental substance abuse and poor family functioning and poor outcomes in children. Unlike qualitative research approaches, quantitative approaches are suitable for testing the link between two or more hypotheses in a study. Given its suitability, the researchers will utilize a quantitative research approach to examine the link between these variables in the research topic.

Participants

To achieve the objectives of this study, the researcher will recruit participants from a local intervention programs in Hoboken region in New Jersey. The participants will primarily consist of children aged between 8 and 15 years who come from families where parents struggle with the problem of substance abuse. The researcher will target to recruit approximately 100 participants from the various intervention programs in the target area. During this process, the researcher will utilize random sampling so that every individual in the intervention programs have equal chances of being selected to engage in the study. The use of a simple random sampling will be suitable for the study since it helps in avoiding bias when selecting participants since every individual in the target population has equal chance of being chosen and included in the research process. The selection of participants from the intervention programs is suitable from the study since it helps in identifying an information-rich sample that would provide significant insights to the study and contribute to accurate research results.

Children and/or young people in these programs are from households where parents struggle with parental abuse, which demonstrates their suitability for the study. However, participation in the study will be on a voluntary basis i.e. none of the children/young people will be coerced or lured to engage in the research. The researcher will not offer any compensation or rewards to the participants for their engagement in the study because of the nature of the study.

Research Design

For this study, the researcher will employ a standardized questionnaire through which every participant will be exposed to similar questions whose responses will be coded using the same system. Siniscalco & Auriat (2005) states that a formal standardized questionnaire is a survey instrument that is utilized for data collection from research participants. When this survey instrument is utilized, the data collected from the participants is either about the individuals themselves or their social unit like a school or household. Given the nature of this study, the researcher will seek to obtain information regarding the individuals and their households. The information regarding the individuals relates to their experiences of the impact of parental substance abuse while information regarding the impact of this problem on family structure and functioning. Apart from the questionnaires, the researcher will also conduct interviews relating to the research topic. Once the data is collected, it will be analyzed through statistical analyses procedures, which will help in establishing the link between parental substance abuse and poor family functioning and poor outcomes in children. In this regard, SPSS statistical software will be employed to help in data analysis and interpretation in order to generate results that address the research issue.

Procedure

Once the sample has been chosen for the research, the questionnaire will be administered to participants who are old enough to understand the questions. The questionnaire will comprise of at least 20 questions on different issues relating to the research topic. In this regard, the researcher will examine some of behavioral, psychological and other issues established in existing literature about how parental substance abuse affects children and family functioning. These issues will be utilized as the premise of developing the questions that will be utilized for data collection from the research participants. The questionnaire will utilize a Likert Scale, which is a psychometric scale that measures attitudes of research participants through responses to a series of statements about a specific research issue or topic (McLeod, 2008). The participants will be required to fill the questionnaire within a 3-hour period and submit their responses to the researcher upon completion.

For participants who are not old enough, the researcher will conduct an interview based on the issues documented in the questionnaire. During this process, the researcher will explain the specific issues to the participants and ask the questions in a manner that is understandable to the children. The face-to-face interviews will help collect data from those who may be unable to understand and answer the questions. The researcher will utilize the same questionnaire for the interview in order to ensure that similar data is collected from these participants like those collected from participants who fill the questionnaire.

Measures

The use of a Likert Scale in the questionnaire implies that the questionnaire will be based on a fixed choice response format. The Likert Scale will range from 1-5 as follows: (1 -- Strongly Disagree, 2 -- Disagree, 3 -- Don\'t Know, 4 -- Agree, 5 -- Strongly Agree). The data obtained from the participants through this Likert Scale will be summarized using a mode because it\'s the most appropriate for easy interpretation. Additionally, the researcher will display observations from the obtained data in a bar chart before being analyzed statistically using SPSS software.

Discussion

Objectives and Hypothesis

The hypothesis to be tested in this study is, \"Parental substance abuse results in poor family functioning and poor outcomes in children.\" Through testing this hypothesis in the research process, the researcher expects to accomplish several objectives. First, the study seeks to demonstrate that parental substance abuse is a major public health concern with devastating impacts on children and families. Secondly, the study seeks to show how parental substance abuse contributes to poor outcomes in children and poor family functioning. Third, the researcher seeks to provide insights on the issue of parental substance abuse, which could be utilized in developing suitable intervention programs for families affected by this problem. Finally, the study will provide insights on the different aspects relating to the adverse impacts of parental abuse i.e. psychological, physical, and emotional effects.

Implications

Through demonstrating the effects of parental substance abuse on family functioning and outcomes in children, the findings of this study will have several implications. The first implication of these findings is that the results fills existing gaps in knowledge or literature on the psychological and/or emotional effects of parental substance abuse on families. Secondly, the study is expected to provide insights on how intervention programs should focus on lessening the effects of parental substance abuse on children and family members. Third, the results of this study can be utilized to prevent parental engagement in substance abuse by creating awareness on its adverse effects on family members.

Applications

Given its implications, the results of this study will be applicable in the public health setting in relation to the development and implementation of intervention programs. The study\'s findings can be applied to public health settings to develop suitable strategies towards helping children living in households where parents abuse substances. Additionally, the findings can be utilized to help parents who are struggling with the problem of substance abuse through creating awareness of the effects of substance abuse of family members. The study also will provide insights that can be utilized when counseling children and other family members from households with parental substance. This implies that its findings would be applicable to the field of psychology because of the psychological/emotional effects of parental substance abuse.

Limitations

One of the limitations of this study is the lack of a control group through which the effects of parental substance use could be compared. This limitation emerges from the fact that the research relies on the experiences of children from households with parental substance abuse. The second limitation is the use of children or young people from intervention programs, which implies that victims of parental abuse who are not receiving any support services are not included in the study. Third, the results of the study could be influenced by biases because of the lack of a high degree of control and the fact that participants were already receiving support services from the intervention programs. These biases could contribute to relatively inaccurate results, which hinder the generalization and application of research findings.

Potential Unexpected Factors

One of the potential unexpected factors in this study is probable inaccurate findings because of several biases brought by the kind of service provided to these participants by the respective support programs. Secondly, there is likelihood of some participants to give inaccurate responses because of their relatively young age. Third, the interviewer\'s arguments and explanations when interviewing the children could likely influence their responses. The researcher could also face challenges in identifying the desired sample size for the study.

Future Directions

Future studies should conduct assessment of the experiences of a wide range of students i.e. those who are receiving support services and those who do not have access to such services. Future studies should also include a control group and conduct observations of experimental and control groups to compare results and determine the actual effects of parental substance abuse on children. Additionally, future research should employ a randomized control study that includes parents and children.

Conclusion

The effect of parental substance abuse on children and families is an important topic of study given the prevalence of parental substance abuse in today\'s society. This topic requires significant attention because parental substance abuse continues to be a major public health concern that is associated with behavioral, psychological, emotional, and even physical impacts. This study seeks to conduct an analysis on this issue based on the experiences of children from households characterized by parental substance abuse. The research is expected to demonstrate that there is a strong link between parental substance abuse and poor outcomes in children and poor family functioning. The study\'s findings will help fill existing gaps in knowledge, especially on how parental abuse affects family structure and functioning. However, since the study will be characterized by some limitations, its findings should be considered as preliminary and provide a framework for future randomized controlled studies.