Alcohol Use and Harm to Children By Parents and Other Adults

Background. Alcohol use has long been considered a risk factor for child abuse and neglect. However, the causality of alcohol use in perpetrating child maltreatment is largely unknown.  An emerging body of research has sought to assess the role of alcohol use in harm to others, but that work has largely not looked at harm to children.  The current study examines the factors related to self-reported harm to children (through lack of supervision or physical harm) due to alcohol use by parents or someone else.

Method. A sample of 1,599 parents of children 10 years or younger in 30 cities in California was obtained via telephone surveys asking about past month or past year frequency of having at least one drink, whether or not their own or another’s alcohol use caused them to use physical harm or not supervise their child properly, and sociodemographics. The four dependent variables included whether or not (1) own alcohol use caused the parent to not supervise their child; (2) someone else’s drinking caused them not to supervise their child (3) own alcohol use caused a parent to physically harm their child; and (4) someone else’s alcohol use caused them to physically harm their child.  Data were analyzed using multi-level random effects logistic models. 

Results. For own alcohol use, we found that Asian parents were more likely to report that their own drinking caused them to not supervise their children. Older children were less likely to be supervised. Parents who had more tangible support were less likely to that report alcohol causing them to not supervise their child.  No variables were related to parent’s report of alcohol use causing physical harm to their child. Asian parents were also more likely to report someone else’s drinking caused that person to not supervise their child. Drinkers were less likely than abstainers and ex-drinkers to report someone else’s drinking cause them to either not supervise or to physical harm their child.  Parent who report higher levels of social companionship support were more likely to report someone else’s drinking caused that person to not supervise or to physically harm their child.

Discussion. Social companionship support (having people to go out to movies, do fun things) may indicate a support network that engages in behavior that may put a child at risk.  Parent with high levels of this type of support may be putting their children at harm.  Drinkers are less likely to report that their drinking was related to harm by someone else. Parents may stop drinking after an event where someone else’s drinking may have harmed their child, or drinkers may be less likely to attribute the cause of physical harm or lack of supervision to alcohol use.