Investigating the prevalence of child abuse in the families with addicted parents in Iran: With emphasis on family risk factors

Introduction: Violence against children has become rampant, especially among the families with addicted parents. Accordingly, the present research was conducted to investigate the prevalence of child abuse among the families with addicted parents in the west of Iran taking into account family risk factors. Methodology: The present research was performed with a cross-sectional design. The statistical population included all the addicted parents having the 6-12-year-old children who referred to the Narcotic Treatment Centers in Kermanshah province, Iran during 2017-2018, among which 273 subjects were randomly selected to be included in the study and filled out the Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory. Results: The results showed that the prevalence of physical and psychological abuse was equal to 43.2%. After controlling the influencing variables, child abuse among the boys was reported to be 0.67 times more than that of the girls. Furthermore, with the increase in the number of siblings, the chances of child abuse were escalated so that, those with three or more than three siblings were 2.92 times more likely to be abused than those without siblings. Being a homemaker mother increased the chance of child abuse by 0.62 times, and the occurrence of psychological problems in the family increased the chance of child abuse by 2.56 times. The chance of child abuse among the parents who were both addicted was 2.66 times more than the families where the father alone was addicted. Conclusion: Given high prevalence of child abuse among the families with drug-addicted parents, supportive organizations are required to play a more prominent role, and it would be also essential to provide effective care programs for empowerment of the children.