There Has Been A Significant Increase In U.S. Children Ending Up As Orphans Within The Past Two Decades

Within the past two decades in the United States, there has been a significant increase in orphanhood, according to a new study.
In 2021, 4.2 percent, or 2.9 million children in the U.S., had experienced the death of at least one parent, grandparent, or caregiver who was responsible for providing the basic needs of the child.
The United Nations Children’s Fund defines orphanhood as the death of one or both parents. The study estimates that between 2000 and 2021, there was a 56 percent increase in the number of children affected by orphanhood and caregiver death in the U.S.
The research team was led by Imperial College London in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
They found that West Virginia, New Mexico, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky were the top five states with the highest level of orphanhood, with an estimated one in 25 children affected by orphanhood.
These states also had the highest poverty ranking, suggesting that links exist between poverty and premature parental deaths.
Drug overdose has been the leading cause of orphanhood since 2020, surpassing COVID-19. From 2020 to 2021, the rates of orphanhood skyrocketed in the midst of the opioid epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic.
For 48 states, fatal injuries, including suicide, homicide, drug overdose, and accidental injuries, were among the top two causes of orphanhood in 2021.
Orphanhood as a result of fatal injuries was higher than orphanhood due to chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer.

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An estimated 1.7 million adolescents aged 10 to 17 have been affected by orphanhood, which means one in every 20 adolescents in the U.S. has lost a mother, a father, or both parents to premature death.
The highest orphanhood burden occurred among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native adolescents, approximately one in 10 children.
In the past, studies have shown that children who experience the loss of a caregiver have a greater chance of experiencing poverty, exploitation, violence, abuse, mental health challenges, severe distress, HIV infection, and gang involvement.
The researchers are calling for policies and programs that provide support for three million children in the U.S. who have gone through orphanhood and the death of a caregiver, as they may help minimize the long-term negative effects that accompany this traumatic childhood experience.
“We estimate that, on average, one child in every classroom across America has experienced the death of a parent or caregiver. These children face a heightened risk of lifelong adversity, unless they are able to get appropriate support in time,” said Dr. Susan Hillis, an author of the study from Imperial College of London.
“Our findings show the urgency to invest in response plans focused on children at greatest risk and in locations most affected. Effective policies can build on two decades of experience supporting vulnerable children through the HIV/AIDS epidemic, to offer needed support for children experiencing loss from any cause, in the U.S.”
The study was published in Nature Medicine.
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