The Opioid Epidemic and Children's Living Arrangements in the United States, 2000-2018

Abstract

Although the detrimental effects of the opioid epidemic on health and wellbeing have been well documented, we know little about how it has affected the family contexts in which children live. Using data from the 2000 Census, the 2005-2018 American Community Survey (ACS) and restricted Vital Statistics, we assess how the opioid epidemic, as measured by a rise in the opioid overdose death rate, affected the rates of children living in different family arrangements: two married parents, two cohabiting parents, single mother, single father, or another configuration. According to local fixed-effects models, a higher opioid overdose death rate is associated with fewer children living with two married parents and an increase in children living in family structures that tend to be less stable, such as those led by cohabiting parents or a single father. These changes in family arrangements have potential long-term implications for the wellbeing of future generations.

Keywords: Children; child wellbeing; family instability; family structure; opioid epidemic.

Figure 1.

Opioid overdose death rate in the United States, 2000–2018 Data source: Author’s calculations with data from the 2000 Census, the 2005–2018 American Community Survey 1-year samples, and restricted Vital Statistics.