Research shows that 1 in 5 people with opioid use disorder receive treatment, but little is known about parents struggling to manage addiction and care for their children. Using data from the 2015-2017 National Survey of Drug Use and Health, researchers estimate that 623,000 parents with opioid use disorder are living with children, and less than one-third of these parents received treatment at a specialty facility or doctor’s office. Many parents have concurrent mental health issues, including suicidal thoughts and behavior. The researchers suggest potential policy and practice solutions to better serve the needs of parents and children.
You can access the article on the Annals of Family Medicine’s website (clicking this link to direct you to an external site).