Children of Addicted Parents Likely to be More Depressed

Children of drug or alcohol addicts are likely to be depressed as adults, a latest study reveals.

The study authors studied the link between parental addictions and adult depression. They collected a representative sample of 6,268 grown-ups from the Canadian Community Health Survey. They found that around 312 suffered from depression before a year of the survey and 877 adults said that when they were below 18 years of age and stayed with their parents at least one parent was addicted to alcohol or drugs. These participants said the drinking habit of their parents "caused problems for the family."

The study found that children whose parents were alcohol or drug addict were more depressed than other youngsters.

 "Even after adjusting for factors ranging from childhood maltreatment and parental unemployment to adult health behaviors including smoking and alcohol consumption, we found that parental addictions were associated with 69 percent higher odds of depression in adulthood," informed lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, professor at the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Department of Family and Community Medicine.

However, the study could not find the link between parental addiction and adult depression.

According to co-author Robyn Katz "it is possible that the prolonged and inescapable strain of parental addictions may permanently alter the way these children's bodies react to stress throughout their life. One important avenue for future research is to investigate potential dysfunctions in cortisol production-the hormone that prepares us for 'fight or flight'-which may influence the later development of depression."

However, Fuller-Thomson suggested that children who experience toxic stress at home can be taken care of by their grandparents, teachers, coached, neighbors and also social workers.

"Although more research is needed to determine if access to a responsive and loving adult decreases the likelihood of adult depression among children exposed to parental addictions, we do know that these caring relationships promote healthy development and buffer stress," Fuller-Thomson said.

The study is published in the journal Psychiatry Research.