Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
Many children with substance use and mental health problems witness substance use and mental health struggles in their household. Research has shown a strong connection between parental substance use disorders (SUDs) and the likelihood of children engaging in similar behaviors. Existing literature uses data collected before the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas this study utilizes data collected during the pandemic. It is essential to examine whether the relationship between parental substance use and children’s substance use increased, as children spent more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prevalence of substance use and mental health problems will be used to examine the analysis of frequencies and among parents and children, respectively. Second, bivariate analysis, such as chi-square statistics, will be used to examine the association between parents’ substance use and mental health problems and children’s substance use. iv Analysis of the results during the pandemic shows that a child’s exposure to substance use by a parent figure early on can lead to them following in their parents' footsteps.
Disciplines
Social Work
Publication Date
Fall 2025
Language
English
Faculty Mentor of Honors Project
Dr. Hui Huang
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Lacy, Cydnee R., "Study of Parental Substance Use Effects on Children" (2025). 2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects. 19.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/honors_fall2025/19
Comments
I would like to thank The University of Texas at Arlington's Office of Undergraduate Research for its unwavering support and opportunity to grow as a research scholar. None of this would be possible without the support of my faculty mentor Dr. Hui Huang. She has extended her time, patience, and assistance over the last year allowing me the chance to learn in the field of social work. Lastly, I would like to give my warmest thank you to the Honors College for giving me the strength to go above and beyond my studies.