ABSTRACT
Substance abuse is a major societal concern contributing to numerous problems, including child neglect. The 1999 Report to Congress on Substance Abuse and Child Protection from the Department of Health and Human Services declared, “substance abuse is a critical factor in child welfare” (p. 4) and “neglect is the predominant type of maltreatment in families with substance abuse problems” (p. viii). Hampton (2000) cites Chasnoff (1998), who asserted that there are “more than 500,000 children in foster care and substance abuse is the dominant characteristic of child protective services caseloads.” Dunn, Tarter, Mezzich, Vanyukov, Kirisci, and Kirillova (2002) maintained that
three times as many children are reported to Child Protective Service agencies for neglect compared to sexual abuse…. Notably, neglect has been documented to have more severe adverse effects on developmental outcomes than child abuse. Inasmuch as the risk for child neglect is augmented by parental substance abuse disorder, children in these families are at a higher risk for psychiatric problems and psychosocial dysfunction as well as substance abuse, (p. 1064)
Glaser (2002) stated,
It is now increasingly accepted that emotional abuse and neglect cause significant harm to the child’s development and that this harm extends into adult life. Evidence for this has come from a number of follow-up and longitudinal studies that show emotional abuse and neglect in childhood are associated with a wide range of emotional, behavioral and cognitive difficulties in later childhood, adolescence and adulthood, (p. 698)
Sheridan (1996) researched the relationships between substance abuse, family functioning, and child abuse/neglect. He observed, “Although the link between substance abuse and an increased likelihood of abuse and neglect has been relatively well established, there is a general recognition that this is not a simple cause-effect relationship, but rather a complex interplay of multiple factors best understood within the system of the family” (pp. 519-520).
