How does living with an alcoholic or addict parent influence short-term child development?
A 1996 study found that over half of runaways reported drug and/or alcohol abuse in the home. Moreover, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, nearly 40% of child abuse cases involved alcohol use immediately before the incident occurred (Read Substance Abuse: “Causing” and “Coping with” Domestic Violence). In SAMHSA’s 2002 survey, the researchers found that households with a parent who abused alcohol were more likely to report “turbulence” than their non-abusing counterparts. The survey defined turbulence as including serious arguments among family members, insults, yelling, and physical abuse. Clearly, children in families with alcoholic or addict parents are at increased risk for neglect and physical, psychological, sexual, or emotional trauma. Specifically, one study found that children of alcoholics were at increased risk for physical abuse whereas children of cocaine addicts were at increased risk for sexual abuse. Because they have poor, ineffective role models, these child
