ARTICLES
Psychopathology in Children of Parents With Opiate Dependence and/or Major Depression

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ABSTRACT

Objective

To evaluate psychiatric disorders and impairment in school-age and adolescent children of opiate-dependent patients.

Method

One hundred fourteen children, aged 6 to 17 years, of 69 white methadone maintenance patients with (n = 30) and without (n = 39) major depression were evaluated for DSM-III-R diagnoses by the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Epidemiologic version and best estimate, and by measures of functioning (Children's Global Assessment Scale. Social Adjustment Inventory for Children and Adolescents, WISC, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test), and compared with children of historical controls without substance abuse history.

Results

Sons of opiate addicts with major depression were at increased risk for conduct disorder and global, social, and intellectual impairment compared with sons of opiate addicts without major depression and/or sons of controls with neither drug dependence nor depression Sons of opiate addicts without major depression differed little from controls. Daughters of opiate addicts did not differ from controls in rates of disorders but had poorer social adjustment and nonverbal intelligence.

Conclusions

Children of opiate-dependent patients, particularly sons of addicts with depression, may be at risk for a developmental path toward antisocial personality and poor social and intellectual functioning. Treatment settings such as methadone maintenance might afford an opportunity for primary and secondary prevention, both through early detection of childhood disorders and treatment of parental drug dependence and psychopathology.

Key Words

psychiatric diagnosis
opiate dependence
major depression
conduct disorder

Cited by (0)

This work was supported by NIH grants DA07201 (M.M.W.), MH36197 (M.M.W.), MH28274 (MM. W), K20 DA00154 (E.V.N.), and K02 DA00288 (E.V.N.). The authors are grateful to Mary Rojas, Ph.D., Angela Aidala, Ph.D., Jim Johnson, Ph.D. (deceased), Christina Sobin, Ph.D., Joyce Edwards, Ronald Brady, M.D., and the staff of Bridge Plaza Treatment and Rehabilitation Services; Jim Koger, C.S.W., Tom Coyne, C.S.W., and the staff of the Long Island Jewish/Hillside Methadone Clinic; Dr. Richard Koeppel, Stuart Steiner, and the staff of the Koeppel Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program; Paul Casadonte, M.D., and the staff of the Manhattan VA Hospital Methadone Clinic; and Stephen Donovan, M.D., for his comments on the manuscript.