Behavioral and emotional problems among children of cocaine- and opiate-dependent parents

Objective: To test associations between parental drug abuse and children's problems, children of cocaine- and opiate-dependent parents were compared w ith demographically matched referred and nonreferred children. Method: Coca ine- and opiate-dependent parents in treatment completed the Child Behavior Checklist for 410 children (218 boys, 192 girls) from ages 2 through 18 ye ars (mean = 7.9 years). Children of drug abusers (CDAs) were demographicall y matched to referred (RCs) and nonreferred children (NRCs). Results: RCs s cored lower than CDAs and NRCs on most competence scales, and higher than C DAs and NRCs on all problem scales. CDAs scored lower than NRCs on most com petence scales, and higher than NRCs on Withdrawn, Thought Problems, Delinq uent Behavior, Aggressive Behavior, Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total Problems. Group status also predicted clinical range scores on most compet ence and all problem scales. Conclusions: CDAs showed more internalizing an d externalizing psychopathology relative to matched NRCs, but they showed s ignificantly less psychopathology than shown by matched RCs. CDAs are an im portant group to target for preventive interventions.