Correlation Between Opioid Epidemic and Occurrence of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

WFPL News Louisville published a story this week regarding the rising occurrence of grandparents raising their grandchildren in Kentucky, often as a result of opioid abuse on the parent’s behalf. According to the article, six percent of children across the state of Kentucky are under the primary care of their grandparents. The author relates this finding to the opioid crisis:

A great number of these cases arise from issues related to the opioid epidemic: incarceration, abuse or neglect. This can put a grandparent in a difficult situation — especially in a state where many people live in poverty and have big health issues.

Research conducted by Lydia Anderson of the Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division of the U.S. Census Bureau suggests a correlation between the opioid prescription rate and the instance of adults raising grandchildren at the state level, though not at a country-wide level. Anderson’s findings show Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Alabama as having the highest percentages of grandparents raising grandchildren as well as the highest rates of opioid prescriptions. See Anderson’s research poster here, or read the story from WFPL News Louisville. To find drug rehab doctors in Louisville, Kentucky, click here.