Parents' Personality Disorders as Predictor of Substance Use Disorder in Children and Adolescents

Arch Iran Med. 2021 Jun 1;24(6):478-486. doi: 10.34172/aim.2021.69.

Abstract

Background: This study investigated how the parents' personality disorders may be related to substance use disorder in children and adolescents.

Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study in which 28,540 children and adolescents (aged 6 to 18 years) and their parents participated between 2015 and 2016. The diagnosis of substance use was made using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia--Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) interview and the personality disorders were assessed using Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory - Third Edition (MCMI-III). The parents were also surveyed for their personality assessed with MCMI.

Results: The results showed that the paranoid personality disorder in father (odds ratio [OR] = 8.34, 95% CI, P = 0.042) and borderline personality disorder in mother (OR = 4.6, 95% CI, P = 0.049) increase the chance of substance use in children.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that in designing preventive programs for substance use, the personality characteristics of the parents need to be taken into account.

Keywords: Adolescent; Child; Personality Disorders; Substance Use Disorder.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Humans
  • Parents
  • Personality Disorders* / epidemiology
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Substance-Related Disorders* / epidemiology