Study: Over 320K Children Lost a Parent to Drug Overdose

(Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

More than 320,000 children in the United States lost a parent due to a drug overdose in the years between 2011 and 2021, according to a new study released in JAMA Psychiatry on Wednesday.

The study was conducted by members of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It found that between the years 2011 and 2021, 649,599 people aged 18 to 64 died due to a drug overdose, leaving behind an estimated 321,566 children.

“It is devastating to see that almost half of the people who died of a drug overdose had a child. No family should lose their loved one to an overdose, and each of these deaths represents a tragic loss that could have been prevented,” said NIDA Director Nora Volkow in a press release.

Researchers found that between 2011 and 2021, the rate of children who have lost at least one parent because of a drug overdose has jumped from 27 children per 100,000 to about 63 children per 100,000. They also noted “significant disparities” in racial and ethnic demographics, with the children of non-Hispanic, American Indian, or Alaska Native people seeing the highest rates, with 187 children per 100,000.

“These findings emphasize the need to better support parents in accessing prevention, treatment, and recovery services,” Volkow continued. “In addition, any child who loses a parent to overdose must receive the care and support they need to navigate this painful and traumatic experience.”