Behavioral and Emotional Adjustment of School-Aged Children from Methamphetamine-Producing Homes: A Rural Tennessee Sample

The effects of a methamphetamine (meth) environment on child outcomes are still unknown. The objective of this study was to gather data on children who lived in meth-producing (MP) homes to determine whether they are at increased risk for developing psychosocial adjustment problems. The 78 participants were 8- and 9-year-old Caucasian children; 40 lived in MP homes and 38 lived in non-producing (NP) homes. The groups were similar in age, gender, and socioeconomic background. Ratings of the children using the Behavior Assessment System for Children Self-Report (BASC-SRP) were compared for both groups. The children from the MP homes were at increased risk for school maladjustment. This preliminary result documents the need for further studies in this population. KEYWORDS: Methamphetamine-producing homechild welfarerural countyschool-aged childrenpsychosocial adjustment Notes Acknowledgements: This study was supported by a Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, TN) Faculty Grant. The authors wish to express their gratitude to the parents and children who participated in the study and to the staff of the community-based social services program. ∗Statistically significant beyond the .05 level