One in four children in the United States lives with at least one parent struggling with addiction, according to new research published in JAMA Pediatrics. Using 2023 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, University of Michigan researchers found that nearly 19 million children are growing up in households where a parent’s drinking or drug use meets the criteria for substance use disorder. Alcohol use disorder was the most common, followed by cannabis, prescription drug-related, and other non-cannabis drug use disorders.
“These findings signal the need for more attention at the federal, state, and local levels on the children and families affected by addiction,” the study authors wrote.
The estimate represents an increase from a previous paper published just months earlier, which used 2020 data and put the number at 17 million.
“The increase and fact that one in four children now live with parental substance use disorder brings more urgency to the need to help connect parents to effective treatments, expand early intervention resources for children, and reduce the risk that children will go on to develop substance use issues of their own,” said Sean Esteban McCabe, lead author of the new study and senior author of the recent one, in a press release.
The researchers also found that nearly 6 million children live with adults who have both substance use and mental health disorders—a combination that significantly increases risks for children.
“We know that children raised in homes where adults have substance use issues are more likely to have adverse childhood experiences, to use alcohol and drugs earlier and more frequently, and to be diagnosed with mental health conditions of their own,” said Vita McCabe, a doctor board-certified in addiction medicine and psychiatry. “That’s why it’s so important for parents to know that there is effective treatment available, including the medications naltrexone and/or acamprosate for alcohol use disorder, cognitive behavioral therapy for cannabis use disorder, and buprenorphine or methadone for opioid use disorder including both prescription and non-prescription opioids.”
Both studies relied on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a federal program that has tracked substance use trends in the U.S. since the 1970s and serves as a vital resource for policymakers and public health experts. However, the future of the survey is uncertain. In April, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued layoff notices to the entire survey staff amid budget and staffing cuts.
