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Case Series: Mental Health Needs and Perspectives of Rural Children Reared by Parents Who Abuse Methamphetamine

NCJ Number
218140
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 500-507
Author(s)
Teresa Ostler Ph.D.; Wendy Haight Ph.D.; James Black M.D.; Ga-Young Choi MSW; Linda Kingery MSW; Kathryn Sheridan MSW
Date Published
April 2007
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This case-based, mixed methods study focused on the perspectives and mental health needs of rural children who had been exposed to parental methamphetamine abuse.
Abstract
During the interviews, 17 children (74 percent) expressed emotional pain when describing their experience within their families. Some children reported feelings of tension, fear, and misery. Others described feelings of intense anger, aggression, or sadness. Some children discussed nightmares and wanting to cut themselves, as well as recurrent fears. Three children reported suicidal thoughts or behavior. The children reported accessing relatively few social resources for coping with their emotional pain. More than half reported that they felt isolated in their families of origin and received little support from adults in order to understand and deal with what was happening at home. Most children reported using avoidance of passive strategies in coping with difficulties at home. This study shows the complexities in assessing the mental health needs of children whose parents abuse methamphetamine. With increasing numbers of children entering foster care because of parental involvement with methamphetamine, clinicians must be prepared to address their mental health needs. Study participants were 23 children involved with a State child protection agency because of their parents' methamphetamine abuse. A semistructured interview provided information on children's perspectives of their families. Information on children's mental health needs was obtained from the Child Behavior Checklist and Trauma Symptom checklist. Case records and caseworker reports provided information on children's family experiences. 3 tables and 32 references