![]() ![]() Responses within families are diverse some children are able to experience supportive and nurturing environments despite the presence of parental problems. The extent to which parenting capacity is sustained or diminished and children are at risk of abuse or neglect is also influenced by the presence of protective factors. For example, in a meta-analysis of 118 studies, Kitzmann, Gaylord, Holt, and Kenny (2003) found that 37% of children who had witnessed domestic violence had comparable or better outcomes than children from otherwise similar backgrounds who had not witnessed domestic violence. Not all children whose parents experience mental health problems, substance misuse or domestic violence will experience poor outcomes. It is important to note that the severity and longevity of the effects of parental substance misuse, mental health problems and domestic violence on children depend upon the nature, extent and severity of the problem and manner in which it affects the individual. This paper does not investigate the subsequent long-term effects of abuse and neglect on children. For more information on the long-term effects of abuse and neglect for adult survivors, see Lamont (2010). ![]() The focus of this section is to identify the adverse effects of parental mental health problems, substance misuse and domestic violence on individuals, their parenting behaviours and the consequent immediate risks to children. Despite the strong association between these parental problems and child protection, there is limited guidance for practitioners that sets out exactly how these problems affect parenting. Children are particularly vulnerable to cumulative harm in families with multiple and complex problems in which the unremitting daily impact of multiple adverse circumstance and events has a profound and exponential impact on children, and diminishes their sense of safety and wellbeing (Bromfield & Miller, 2007). ![]() There is substantial research documenting the association between these parental problems and poor outcomes for children. ![]() Substance misuse, mental health problems and domestic violence are commonly associated with child protection involvement and are described as "key risk factors" for child abuse and neglect. How do drug and alcohol misuse, mental health problems and domestic violence affect parenting? Finally, it provides an overview of research and theory for working with families with multiple and complex problems. It presents evidence regarding the extent to which these problems co-occur and a discussion of the wider context of exclusion and disadvantage, its causes and its consequences. This paper investigates the separate impacts of parental substance misuse, domestic violence and parental mental health problems. Where these problems occur within families, the families are described as "families with multiple and complex problems". These types of problems are complex, often inter-related, and chronic in nature and rarely occur in isolation. Parents may also be struggling to come to terms with their own experiences of trauma and victimisation. Families in which parents present with these problems are often situated within a wider context of exclusion and disadvantage (e.g., housing instability, poverty, low education, social isolation and neighbourhood disadvantage). The significance of parental substance misuse, mental health problems and domestic violence is made clear in the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children, which states "A particular focus is sustained on key risk factors of mental health, domestic violence and drug and alcohol abuse" (Council of Australian Governments, 2009, p. The factors most commonly associated with the occurrence of child abuse and neglect, and identified in families involved with child protection services, are domestic violence, parental substance abuse and parental mental health problems (Cleaver, Nicholson, Tarr, & Cleaver, 2007 Cleaver, Unell, & Aldgate, 1999 Scott, 2009). ![]()
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