Reducing parental risk factors for children's substance misuse: preliminary outcomes with opiate-addicted parents

Parents in methadone treatment were offered an experimental intervention, Focus on Families, designed to reduce their risk of relapse and their children's risk of substance use. Experimentally assigned volunteers participated in systematic group training in relapse prevention and parenting skills, and received home-based case management services. Immediate posttreatment outcome results reported here include analyses of covariance controlling for baseline measures. Analyses show experimental parents held more family meetings to discuss family fun, displayed stronger refusal/relapse coping skills, demonstrated stronger sense of self-efficacy in role-play situations, and had lower levels of opiate use than control subjects. No significant differences in family bonding, family conflict, or other measures of drug use were found. The utility of intervening with drug-addicted parents in methadone treatment is discussed in light of these findings.