Improving family functioning and child outcome in methadone maintained families: the Parents Under Pressure programme.
Twelve families responded to posters displayed in a methadone clinic for inclusion in a pilot study assessing the viability and potential utility of an intensive, multi-component family-focused intervention, the Parents Under Pressure programme. The programme was designed to improve child behaviour, decrease parental stress and improve family functioning in methadone-maintained families by targeting affect regulation, mood, views of self as a parent, drug use and parenting skills. Nine of the families completed the programme delivered in their homes; eight were recontacted at 3 months. Each family reported significant improvements in three domains: parental functioning, parent-child relationship and parental substance use and risk behaviour. In addition to the changes in family functioning, the majority of families reported a decrease in concurrent alcohol use, HIV risk-taking behaviour and maintenance dose of methadone. The families reported high levels of satisfaction with the programme. It is recommended that future studies include independent measures (e.g. behavioural observations) of child outcome and parental functioning. The results were optimistic and provided the impetus to evaluate the treatment programme using a randomized controlled trial.
Dawe
Sharon
S
School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland 4111, Australia. s.dawe@griffith.edu.au
Harnett
Paul H
PH
Rendalls
Vanessa
V
Staiger
Petra
P
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009294:Narcotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016487:Parenting; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D009294:Narcotics; D008691:Methadone