Family dysfunction correlates to later substanc abuse. (adapted from Child Abuse and Neglect, 19,5:519-530, 1995)

Although the link between substance abuse and child maltreatment has been relatively well established, there is a general recognition that the link between substance abuse and child maltreatment is not a simple cause and effect relationship. The current study explored the relationships among substance abuse, family functioning, and abuse/ neglect in a sample of incarcerated substance abusers.

Data were gathered on the earlier life experiences of 81 men and women serving sentences in two maximum security prisons. They included assessments of- their parents' substance abuse problems; levels of family competence within their families-of-origin; their exposure, as children …