Centre for Research into Practice: Staff Research Summaries
Parental substance use and children’s educational outcomes
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Helen Lewis, Russell Grigg, Cathryn Knight
How we did the research
What we wanted to find out
Using a scoping review which selected 51 studies of the relationship between parental substance use and children’s educational outcomes.
What does research already tell us about this? What areas of educational outcomes does parental
substance use impact? Where do we need more research?
What we found out
Parental substance use was negatively associated with children’s educational attainment, i.e., they had lower grades. Parental substance use was related to their children being at risk for behavioural problems, being disciplined at school, having lower attendance, rating their academic ability lower and greater attendance of ‘special classes’ related to academic progress and discipline. However, there was no consensus on whether children of substance-using parents enjoyed school less than their counterparts to improve well-being.
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Why this matters
It is estimated that 3.7% of children have a parent known to alcohol and drug services, while there are many other parents who have some level of alcohol dependency, alongside use of illicit drugs. There are also children requiring additional educational support that may go unheard of –'the hidden harms'.
Where to find out more
Dr Emily Lowthian, Lecturer, Swansea University: e.m.lowthian@swansea.ac.uk
Lowthian, E. (2022). The Secondary Harms of Parental Substance Use on Children’s Educational Outcomes: A Review. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma . 15, 511-522. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-021-00433-2
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