Parental Substance Abuse As an Early Traumatic Event. Preliminary Findings on Neuropsychological and Personality Functioning in Young Drug Addicts Exposed to Drugs Early

Abstract

Parental substance use is a major risk factor for child development, heightening the risk of drug problems in adolescence and young adulthood, and exposing offspring to several types of traumatic events. First, prenatal drug exposure can be considered a form of trauma itself, with subtle but long-lasting sequelae at the neuro-behavioral level. Second, parents' addiction often entails a childrearing environment characterized by poor parenting skills, disadvantaged contexts and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), leading to dysfunctional outcomes. Young adults born from/raised by parents with drug problems and diagnosed with a Substance Used Disorder (SUD) themselves might display a particularly severe condition in terms of cognitive deficits and impaired personality function. This preliminary study aims to investigate the role of early exposure to drugs as a traumatic event, capable of affecting the psychological status of young drug addicts. In particular, it intends to examine the neuropsychological functioning and personality profile of young adults with severe SUDs who were exposed to drugs early in their family context. The research involved three groups, each consisting of 15 young adults (aged 18–24): a group of inpatients diagnosed with SUDs and exposed to drugs early, a comparison group of non-exposed inpatients and a group of non-exposed youth without SUDs. A neuropsychological battery (Esame Neuropsicologico Breve-2), an assessment procedure for personality disorders (Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200) and the Symptom CheckList-90-Revised were administered. According to present preliminary results, young drug addicts exposed to drugs during their developmental age were characterized by elevated rates of neuropsychological impairments, especially at the expense of attentive and executive functions (EF); personality disorders were also common but did not differentiate them from non-exposed youth with SUDs. Alternative multi-focused prevention and intervention programs are needed for children of drug-misusing parents, addressing EF and adopting a trauma-focused approach.

Emotional Availability, Neuropsychological Functioning, and Psychopathology: The Context of Parental Substance Use Disorder

“…As hypothesized, significant impairments in maternal neuropsychological functioning were uncovered, with scores that were below the norm on executive functions and overall cognitive profiles, similar to the work of Parolin and colleagues [ 73 ] on young adults with SUD. Furthermore, these mothers frequently reported the experience of clinically significant symptoms, in line with previous studies highlighting the presence of higher rates of psychopathology in individuals with SUD [ 74 ].…”

“…Future research with larger sample sizes and several time points of measurements could investigate mediational models. For example, we wonder whether there is a pathway from psychological distress to substance abuse (as a self-medication strategy), and then to subsequent neuropsychological impairments (due to persistent drug use) [ 73 , 77 ]. A different pathway could be from impairments in maternal neuropsychological functioning to impairments in other social/emotional processes that are supported by neurocognitive abilities to some extent (such as empathy), which then may contribute to difficulties in mother-child interactions.…”

Altered brain functional connectivity and behaviour in a mouse model of maternal alcohol binge-drinking

“…There is scarce research in the available literature as to the association between prenatal alcohol exposure and subsequent drug abuse in exposed offspring (Behnke and Smith, 2013). Clinical data support an increased risk of alcohol abuse later in life following prenatal exposure (Alati et al, 2006;Parolin et al, 2016;Yates et al, 1998). However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying such susceptibility are unknown.…”

Predicting Suicidality and Addictions Among University Students Based on Adverse Childhood Experiences and Exposure to Family Members’ and Friends’ Suicide

“…With regard to substance use problems, their records often show an early onset of substance use (Rothman, Edwards, Heeren, Hingson, 2008), increased binge drinking rates (Weitzman & Wechsler, 2000), and higher risk of developing substance use disorders at a younger age than their peers (Hussong, Bauer, & Chassin, 2008). Approximately 33% to 40% of all children with an addicted parent will develop a substance use disorder themselves (Parolin, Simonelli, Mapelli, Sacco, Cristofalo, 2016).…”