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Taylor Nuse

Professor Barnes

English 1201

16 March 2019

Annotated Bibliography

My research paper will answer whether or not the opioid epidemic has had an impact on the rise

in children in the foster care system across the United States. I want to research this topic

because the opioid epidemic has taken over the Miami Valley and our nation as a whole.

Although the citizens of the United States are aware of the opioid epidemic, are they aware of the

children left behind?

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Opioid Overdose Crisis.” National Institute on Drug

Abuse , 22 Jan. 2019, www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as of January 2019, more than 130

Americans die each day after overdosing on opioids. The addiction and abuse of prescription

drugs, fentanyl, and heroin has resulted in a serious national crisis that has lead to the destruction

of public health as well as social and economical fortunes. In the late 1900’s, health

professionals began to over-prescribe pain relievers which is the leading cause of this epidemic.

This article speaks to all Americans as an educational source to inform the people of the United

States that the opioid epidemic is a national crisis. This article will be useful in my research

paper because it is recent statistics and facts that support where the United States is heading due

to the misuse of opioids.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Dramatic Increases in Maternal Opioid Use and

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.” NIDA, 22 Jan. 2019, www.drugabuse.gov/related-

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topics/trends-statistics/infographics/dramatic-increases-in-maternal-opioid-use-neonatal-

abstinence-syndrome.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse provides a graph showing extreme increases in maternal

opioid use. As of January 2019, roughly every 15 minutes a baby is born with neonatal

abstinence system or neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NAS/NOWS). This syndrome is the

result of maternal opioid use during pregnancy. A recent study showed that approximately

32,000 babies were born with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome in 2014, a dramatic increase

from 10 years prior. Treatment of this syndrome leads to costly hospital stays, reaching 563

million in 2014. The purpose of this article is to show the dramatic increase of maternal drug

abuse and its costly, terrifying effects. This article is useful to my research topic because it shows

the steady increase of drug abuse over the past 15 years.

Collier, Lorna. “Young Victims of the Opioid Crisis.” American Psychological

Association, American Psychological Association, Jan. 2018,

www.apa.org/monitor/2018/01/opioid-crisis.

In the article “Young Victims of the Opioid Crisis,” Lorna Collier writes that as of January 2018,

the opioid crisis is taking over the United States and is highly affecting the children of drug

abusers. A large number of these children are being sent to live with family, however, an

increasing amount of these children are being placed in the foster-care system. With these

growing numbers, many states across the nation are struggling to keep up with the demand. The

purpose of this article is to bring attention to Americans that the opioid crisis is not going to go

away on its own, the number of deaths due to overdoses are increasing yearly, and the drug

abusers are not the only individuals struggling, but their children as well. This article is

appropriate for my research paper because it shows that the foster care system is struggling to
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place these children in homes and that the foster care system cannot keep up with the demand

due to the constant increase in drug abuse across the United States.

Wedell, Katie. “Foster Care System Struggles to Keep Pace with Opioid Epidemic.”

Daytondailynews, Staff Writer, 19 Feb. 2019, www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/addiction-

toll-our-region-children/7asqQRMl3vSJzF8FhCMqKM/.

In February of 2019, Katie Wedell published the article “Foster Care System Struggles to Keep

Pace with Opioid Epidemic.” The Dayton Daily News Writer speaks about how the foster care

system simply cannot keep up with the amount of children that are being placed in foster care

due to their parents being part of the opioid epidemic. Exposing children to drug abuse creates

much trauma, not to mention the fact that they are being sent away from their families, in some

cases, many states away. Such trauma has proved to result in cases of that child facing a harsh

future that includes unemployment, addiction, and criminal activity. Over the past 5 years, Ohio

has seen a 28 percent increase in the number of children in state custody. The purpose of this

article is to bring attention to individuals that live in the Miami Valley that this is a war against

the opioid epidemic, and these children desperately need caretakers. This article would be

helpful to my research paper because it shows that the opioid epidemic is in our area, and it has

harshly affected those around us. Most of us can name at least one person we know or that is a

family member that has been affected by drug abuse.

Village, The Recovery. “Ohio Kids Flood Foster Care System as Opioid Addiction Rates
Rise.” Columbus Recovery Center | Ohio Drug and Alcohol Rehab Facility, 14 Sept. 2018,
www.columbusrecoverycenter.com/blog/ohio-kids-flood-foster-care-system-as-opioid-addiction-
rates-rise/.
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According to the Recovery Village in Columbus, an Ohio Drug and Alcohol Rehab Facility,

overdose is not the only issue for families that are scared to lose a loved one to drug abuse. Child

neglect comes along with drug abuse, and is often not first thought of when people speak about

those battling with their addiction. A second side of this issue is that these children might take on

the caretaker role in the family instead of the adult. They might cook food for the family, or

starve because there is no working member of the family to provide food. As a result of parental

drug abuse, there are lasting effects on these children. Children who are exposed to drug abuse

are more at risk for depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. This article is to inform readers

that yes, the opioid epidemic is a huge crisis among our nation, but these children are victims of

this epidemic, and they need help too. This article is extremely relevant to my research topic

because it provides readers with a new perspective on the opioid epidemic and what is happening

to the children of drug abusers.

Johnson, Elizabeth I., and Jane Waldfogel. “Parental Incarceration: Recent Trends and

Implications for Child Welfare.” Social Service Review, vol. 76, no. 3, Sept. 2002, pp. 460-479.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1086/341184.

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.ohiolink.edu:9099/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=28&sid=8d

1be6e6-aab5-4828-9dc6-4b0caa1d361b%40sessionmgr4008

According to Elizabeth Johnson and Jane Waldfogel in the article “Parental Incarceration:

Recent Trends and Implications for Child Welfare,” parental incarceration has been an existing

issue for child welfare since 2002. In this article, research shows that children with incarcerated

parents make up a growing population of the United States foster care system since the mid

1980’s. Children who have incarcerated parents have issues with concentration, a regular sleep

schedule, and depression. Children are also at risk before their parents are incarcerated, as 60
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percent of women in state prisons have abused drugs in the month prior to their incarceration.

This article proves that drug abuse has been an issue since the mid 1980’s, and has continuously

worsened over the years, leaving children behind to suffer. This article is relevant to my research

topic because it shows that drug abuse has been an issue since the mid 1980’s and has

continuously increased as years have passed by.

Briggs, Jimmie. “To Grandmother’s House We Go.” Crisis (15591573), vol. 114, no.

1,Jan. 2007, pp. 34-37. EBSCOhost,

proxy.ohiolink.edu:9099/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ahl

&AN=24779491&site=ehost-live.

In Jimmie Briggs “To Grandmother’s House We Go,” he tells the harsh truth of the effects of

parental drug abuse on children. In this specific case, the children were sent to live with their

great grandmother. The mother calls or stops by sometimes, but for the most part, the great-

grandmother is the one who cares for the children. She cooks them breakfast, makes sure they

get an education, and provides them with the best life she is able to. In many cases around the

United States, this same scenario is true. When there is family willing to take the child in and

raise them as their own, this is what happens. If there is not a family member alive or no one is

willing to take the child or children in, they are placed into the foster care system. This article

shows another truth behind drug abuse, and how children are left to the wind when their parents

are drug abusers. This article is relevant to my research topic because it shows a different side to

what happens to children when their parents are struggling with addiction.