Infants in the Child Welfare System: Exposure and Risks of Parental Alcohol and Drug Misuse.

IF 1.8 4区医学 Q3 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Maternal and Child Health Journal Pub Date : 2025-03-26 DOI:10.1007/s10995-025-04085-8

Lindsey Palmer, Sarah Font, Julia Reddy, Rebecca Rebbe, Eunhye Ahn

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective: To document the prevalence of parental alcohol and drug misuse (PADM) in infants' first and subsequent child welfare cases, and to assess the risk of subsequent injury for infants exposed to PADM.

Methods: This study used linked Medicaid and child welfare system (CWS) data in Pennsylvania to identify all children born between 2016 and 2018 who had a confirmed CWS case by age one (N = 20,998). The injury analyses focused on children whose initial case included PADM and who were covered by Medicaid at birth (N = 11,180). Survival analyses and Cox Proportional Hazard models were used to assess risk of any physical harm, severe harm and head injuries among infants who remained in home following PADM exposure.

Results: Study documented that 64% of infants' first cases included PADM. Infants with a PADM case who remained at home (versus entered care) were at increased risk of experiencing subsequent physical harm, severe physical harm, and head injuries. Few differences in harm outcomes were observed between infants with and without medically diagnosed prenatal substance exposure.

Conclusions: The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act instructs medical professionals to create 'plans of safe care' for infants affected by substances, however, limitations in PADM identification as well as an insufficient public health response has resulted in many families not receiving the support and services needed. Coordinated efforts are needed to prevent, detect, and treat substance use disorders.

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来源期刊

Maternal and Child Health Journal PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

3.20

自引率

4.30%

发文量

271

期刊介绍： Maternal and Child Health Journal is the first exclusive forum to advance the scientific and professional knowledge base of the maternal and child health (MCH) field. This bimonthly provides peer-reviewed papers addressing the following areas of MCH practice, policy, and research: MCH epidemiology, demography, and health status assessment Innovative MCH service initiatives Implementation of MCH programs MCH policy analysis and advocacy MCH professional development. Exploring the full spectrum of the MCH field, Maternal and Child Health Journal is an important tool for practitioners as well as academics in public health, obstetrics, gynecology, prenatal medicine, pediatrics, and neonatology. Sponsors include the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP), the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health (ATMCH), and CityMatCH.