This checklist is designed primarily for children who have one or both parents involved in some aspect of the methamphetamine (MA) epidemic. They may have parent(s) who use MA and/or who are involved in the production of MA and are likely to experience depression, fear, confusion, anxiety, and other negative emotions in response to the situation in which they find themselves. The checklist below can be administered in its entirety if appropriate. However, selected items of particular relevance can be administered as a semi-structured interview on an as-needed basis to a given child.

Although the checklist was specifically designed for children affected by parental use and production of MA, it may also provide a useful tool that can be applied with children whose parent(s) indulge in or produce other substances. Accordingly, readers are encouraged to use the checklist and/or particular items that may have value for children whose families are affected by substances other than MA.

If more than five (N=5) statements are selected, the counselor should assume that further probing and clinical work may be necessary. Although no cut-off scores have been specified for the Voices for Children Checklist, in general, the higher the number of statements selected, the more likely that the child is manifesting concerns in this area. The counselor can restate or reword each item slightly and ask the child each question verbally to facilitate administration.

CHECK HERE IF YOU AGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT:
1. I am often afraid when I am alone with my parents.
2. I don’t have many friends.
3. I often have nightmares.
4. I miss a lot of school days.
5. I am embarrassed to have friends come over to the house.
6. I feel so alone most of the time.
7. Even though I love my parent(s), I am ashamed of what they do.
8. I am afraid of some of the people who come to the house.
9. Sometimes, I think it would be better if I were dead.
10. I can’t tell anyone at school about what is happening at home.
11. I often have to take care of other people because my parents can’t or won’t do so.
12. I am afraid my brother(s)/sister(s) and me will be taken away from our family.
13. It’s hard for me to concentrate on school.
14. My parent(s) don’t really act like parents a lot of the time.
15. I wish there was some way I could get out of this situation.
16. I feel pressure on me all of the time.
17. I am not getting enough sleep.
18. I try to protect my brother(s)/sister(s) from the scary things going on around us.
19. I don’t like some of the people my parent(s) hang around with.
20. My parent(s) are often unpredictable.
21. I have no control over what happens to me.
22. I change schools a lot.
23. I feel like no one understands what I am going through.
24. Our neighbors stay away from us.
25. There are secrets in my family that I can’t share with anyone.

Sylvia Kay Fisher, Ph.D., Educational Measurement and Evaluation, has significant program evaluation experience and was formerly a counselor and psychological evaluator. Ronnie Fisher, EdS is a retired psychology teacher and a former social worker and counselor.

This article is published in Counselor,The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, December 2005, v.6, n.6, pp.40.

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