Aaron Hogue, Ph.D., Guest at Children’s Health and Wellbeing Workshop

Our Director of Adolescent and Family Research, Aaron Hogue Ph.D., spoke at a public workshop hosted by the Forum for Children’s Well-Being, which took place earlier this month in Washington, DC. The well attended workshop featured two panels – the first of which discussed multigenerational approaches to prevent and mitigate adverse childhood outcomes related to parental substance use disorder. The second panel focused on policies aimed at preventing opioid misuse. The sessions also explored multi-sector strategies that promote health equity and early relational health, using the opioid crisis as a case study.

“Presenters and panelists highlighted the enormous and multifaceted toll exacted by the opioid epidemic on youth and families,” said Hogue. “They also advocated for family and community-based programs and policies aimed at minimizing the damage and reversing the opioid spiral.

He added that home-based visitation programs and health care reforms designed to support pregnant and postpartum mothers were “especially promising.”

“Effective home-based screening and intervention for substance use, depression and domestic conflict can put infants and families on a healthy course and literally save lives,” said Hogue. “Supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, scientists at Center on Addiction are currently developing innovative, computer-delivered interventions to meet this urgent need.”

The National Academies’ Forum for Children’s Well-Being aims to inform a forward-looking agenda for building a stronger research and practice base around programs, practices and policies to promote children’s cognitive, affective and behavioral health.