Abstract
Growing opioid misuse in the United States has resulted in more children living with an adult with an opioid use history. Although an abundance of research has demonstrated a link between opioid misuse and negative parenting behaviors, few intervention efforts have been made to target this underserved population. The Family Check-Up (FCU) has been tested in more than 25 years of research, across multiple settings, and is an evidence-based program for reducing risk behavior, enhancing parenting skills, and preventing the onset of substance use. It is designed to motivate parents to engage in positive parenting practices and to change problematic parenting and has been tested across a variety of ages including early childhood and adolescence. It is highlighted in NIDA’s Principles of Substance Use Prevention for Early Childhood: A research-based guide as one of only three effective selective prevention programs for substance abuse among families with young children. Recently, we developed an online version of the FCU that has now been adapted for early childhood and families with opioid use histories. The online platform and telehealth model allow for wide-scale dissemination, ease of training with community providers, and increased public health reach for families in remote, rural areas. This is particularly important when targeting families with opioid misuse and addiction because there are high rates of addiction in remote areas, yet few services available. In this article, we describe the FCU Online and review new content in the model that targets a population of young adult parents with substance abuse histories, including opioid use. New modules include content focused on harm reduction for this high-risk population of parents, such as safety in the home, substance use while parenting, and managing conflict with partners and friends.
Highlights
Misuse of opioids, including heroin, prescription pain relievers, and synthetic opioids, has been on the rise in the United States over the past decade, which has led to more than 400% increases in overdose death in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019)
By adapting the Family Check-Up (FCU) to an eHealth model, we address a need in the community with a cost-effective, transportable intervention focused on building parenting skills in a vulnerable population to support healthy development of children and improve overall family functioning
Parents who use opioids or have a history of use display poor relationshipbuilding skills with their children and engage in negative parenting that leads to a range of detrimental child outcomes that begin in early childhood
Summary
Misuse of opioids, including heroin, prescription pain relievers, and synthetic opioids, has been on the rise in the United States over the past decade, which has led to more than 400% increases in overdose death in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). By adapting the FCU to an eHealth model, we address a need in the community with a cost-effective, transportable intervention focused on building parenting skills in a vulnerable population to support healthy development of children and improve overall family functioning. By implementing these self-care habits and improving parent emotional control, parents can improve their ability to provide quality care for their children This module was designed from a harm reduction perspective since the previous research has suggested that punitive-based interventions for adults with opioid use histories are often ineffective (Taplin and Mattick, 2015). Because parents with opioid use histories may have unrealistic expectations about child behavior, incorporating skills in these areas can help parents to better understand developmentally appropriate expectations and consequences to improve parenting practices (Cioffi et al, 2019) This module begins with clear expectations about appropriate supervision of children in early childhood. These skills include content, such as ignoring and using logical consequences
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
