Girls growing up with heroin-addicted parent more resilient...( Growing up with a heroin-addicted p...),Health
Growing up with a heroin-addicted parent exposes children to a variety of detrimental experiences before the age of 18 and new research indicates that girls are four times more resilient than boys in overcoming such adverse events.
In addition to having a heroin-addicted parent, these experiences include family mental illness, having a parent jailed, family violence, being a victim of abuse and having a parent die, and the study found 70 percent of the children were exposed to two or more of these events. In addition, 62 percent had three or more adverse experiences and 22 percent reported four or more. By contrast, just 3 percent reported no adverse experiences other than having an opiate-dependent parent.
"These are very high-risk kids with at least one parent who is addicted to heroin," said Martie Skinner, a research scientist with the University of Washington's Social Development Research Group and lead author of a new study. "What we mean by resilience is a reasonable transition to adulthood by working or being in school, avoiding substance abuse and staying out of trouble with the law in the past five years. These seem like ordinary expectations, but only 30 of the 125 young adults we studied met them."
Women were more likely to be resilient, primarily because males were more likely to have had criminal charges, she said.
The study was based on data collected from young adults at two points in time from families recruited at two Seattle-area methadone clinics. The families initially were recruited between 1991 and 1993 for an intervention study of opiate-dependent parents in methadone treatment and their families. Their children were re-interviewed in 2005 and 2006 when they were an average of 23 years old. The young adults were predominately white or mixed race and almost equally divided by sex.
The rates of exposure to adverse childhood experiences far exceeded those in an earlier general survey of 15,000 adults enr
'/>"/>
| Contact: Joel Schwarz joels@u.washington.edu 206-543-2580 University of Washington Source:Eurekalert |
Related medicine news :
1. Autism Consortium members publish in PNAS: Mechanism, treatment for Rett syndrome -- top cause autism girls
2. Vitamin D tied to muscle power in adolescent girls
3. New Study: Higher DHA Levels Improve Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Premature Girls
4. Northwest Hospital Sponsors Girls Day Out Event at Northgate Mall
5. Glory for Girls Announces All-Natural Clarifying Products for Clear and Radiant Skin
6. Omega-3 Fatty Acid May Help Preemie Girls Brains
7. More Screen Time Linked to Poor Fitness in Girls
8. Innovative new Web site empowers young girls to live smoke-free
9. Pelvic Inflammation Puts Girls at Risk for Repeat STIs
10. Technique Preserves Future Fertility in Girls With Cancer
11. ADHD Affects Movement More in Boys Than in Girls
| Copyright © 2003-2009 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |