Chapter 9: Resisting The Single Story Of Addiction: Schools as Sources of Compassion and Support for Families With Substance Use Disorders

Substance use disorder (SUD) represents one of the most serious health problems in the United States (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,2012). According to the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 40.3 million people in the United States aged 12 and older reported a SUD in the past year (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2021). Additionally, an estimated 8.7 million children aged 17 or younger live in a household with at least one parent who has SUD (Lipari & Van Horn, 2017). Parental substance use poses considerable risk to children and can have serious, long-lasting ramifications on their development and well-being (Hanson & Lynch,2013). Children with substance abusing parents and caregivers are more likely to experience emotional, cognitive, social, and psychological difficulties, be subjected to other forms of risk and maltreatment, abuse substances as a mechanism to cope with adversity, and encounter familial disruption and instability (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2014; Lipari & Van Horn, 2017; McKeganey et al., 2002; Peleg-Oren & Teichman, 2006; Wekerle et al., 2009). Exposure to toxic stress due to parental substance abuse can also create school-related difficulties for children, including learning and memory deficits, difficulty concentrating and problem-solving, and impulsive and aggressive behaviors (Burke Harris, 2018).