Foster Care and Substance Abuse - 3763 Words

Running head: THE FOSTER CARE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE The Association Between Foster Care and Substance Abuse Risk Factors and Treatment Outcomes: An Exploratory Secondary Analysis Sharon H. Stoess Grand Canyon University NRS-433V March 27, 2011 The Association Between Foster Care and Substance Abuse Risk Factors and Treatment Outcomes: An Exploratory Secondary Analysis â€Å"The child welfare and substance abuse systems are integrally linked through the children and families they serve (Blome, W., Shields, J., amp; Verdieck, M., 2009). There is a dearth of knowledge, however, on how children who have experienced foster care fare when they are treated for substance abuse issues as adults† (Blome, W., Shields, J., amp; Verdieck,†¦show more content†¦It is imperative to know what the actual facts are. â€Å"Studies have shown that adverse childhood experiences, including abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and household substance abuse, increase the likelihood of early initiation of drug use by two to four times† (Dube, Felitti, Dong, Chapman, Giles, amp; Anda, 2003). â€Å"Interviews with 320 adolescents in foster care found approximately 40% used alcohol, 35% reported marijuana use, and 25% described using both in the prior six months (Thompson amp; Auslander, 2007). â€Å"Youths who have been in foster care used illicit drugs at a higher rate than youths who have never been in foster care, but they were also more likely to have received treatment† (National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2005). â€Å"Merging educational and child welfare databases from a Midwestern state showed that only one in five of these youths demonstrated the skills necessary to pass the reading, math and science standardized tests† (Coleman, 2004). â€Å"Among youths who stayed in foster care until the age of emancipation (18 to 21 depending on the state), more than one-third earned neither a high school diploma nor a GED (Courtney amp; Dworsky, 2005). Foster care childrenShow MoreRelatedSubstance Abuse : An Individual s Life1608 Words   |  7 PagesSubstance abuse can be very detrimental to an individual’s life. According to the World Health Organization, substance abuse is defined as, â€Å"the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs† (2015) . It does not matter what type of substance a person abuses, any one of them can alter one’s perception, judgement, and physical control, which leads a person being destructive in the future. If a person is fully dependent on a substance, by the time they withdrawRead MoreThe Effects Of Substance Abuse On Children1443 Words   |  6 Pagessubstance it can lead to impairment or distress in many different ways such as, â€Å"recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home, recurrent substance use in situations in which it is physically hazardous, recurrent substance-related legal problems, continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of the substance† (Susic, 2007). According to the Foster CareRead MoreHow Family Preservation Is A Service Help Keep Children At Home With Their Families1470 Words   |  6 PagesThe case plan, i n a sense, does follow the principles of family preservation. 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Is Cause For Alarm ( Zetlin, Macleod, Essay1567 Words   |  7 PagesThe outlook for children in foster care in the U .S. is cause for alarm (Zetlin, MacLeod, Kimm, 2012). Foster youth, otherwise known as youth who are ward of the court, are one of the most at risk populations in areas such as physical and emotional health, juvenile delinquencies and educational achievement. This is primarily due to factors such as disruptive a history of abuse, school changes, social stigma and isolation, lack of educational supports, disproportionately high rates of special educationRead MoreAbuse in Foster Care Essay1089 Words   |  5 Pagespublic care have experienced abuse and neglect, and many have potentially been exposed to domestic violence, parental mental illness and substance abuse† (Dregan and Gulliford). These children are being placed into foster care so that they can get away from home abuse, not so they can move closer towards it. 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