Addressing Children and Families within the National Drug Control Strategy

SYNOPSIS

In recognition of the potentially devastating effects on family well-being related to opioids and caregiver substance use in the United-States including increasing rates of overdose among individuals of reproductive age, opioid-related pediatric fatalities, and family disruptions, this commentary provides an expanded approach for policy frameworks to meaningfully integrate children, parents, and families. Building from the White House’s 2022 National Drug Control Strategy, this commentary identifies actionable opportunities to incorporate children, parents, and family approaches in each of seven key areas of action to abate the harms of opioids. Too often in the U.S., the needs of caregivers with substance use disorder and the needs of their children are viewed as separate from one another and, sometimes, even in competition. An integrated understanding of substance use with family lens must be a priority to comprehensively address the harms of opioids.

AFFILIATIONS AND ADDRESSES

Barbara Chaiyachati, 3500 Civic Center Blvd, Div General Pediatrics, 15th floor HUB, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Email: [email protected]. Emily A. Bosk is at the Rutgers School of Social Work, Ava Hunt is at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Davida Schiff is at MassGeneral for Children and Harvard Medical School.

ARTICLE INFORMATION

Conflict of Interest Disclosures

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has received payment for the expert testimony of Dr. Chaiyachati when subpoenaed for cases of suspected abuse. Dr. Chaiyachati received salary support within a grant from Delaware County Pennsylvania Opioid Settlement Trust Fund.

Ethical Principles

The authors affirm having followed professional ethical guidelines in preparing this work. These guidelines include obtaining informed consent from human participants, maintaining ethical treatment and respect for the rights of human or animal participants, and ensuring the privacy of participants and their data, such as ensuring that individual participants cannot be identified in reported results or from publicly available original or archival data.

Role of the Funders/Sponsors

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of any funders, including the National Institutes of Health.

Additional information

Funding

Dr. Chaiyachati received salary support during completion of this work from the National Institute of Mental Health under Grant K08MH129657; Dr. Schiff received salary support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse under Grant K23DA048169.