What is the connection between substance abuse and child abuse?
A 1993 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that children in alcohol abusing families were nearly 4 times more likely to be abused and neglected overall, almost 5 times more likely to be physically neglected and 10 times more likely to be emotionally neglected than children in non-alcohol abusing families. Estimates suggest that 40 to 80 percent of all child abuse cases substantiated by child protective agencies involve some degree of substance abuse by the child’s parents.
