Parenting attitudes and behaviors among parents involved with the child welfare system and affected by substance use disorders

Co-occurring parental substance use and child maltreatment is a serious concern in the U.S child welfare system. The aim of the study was to examine parenting attitudes and practices among parents who participated in Ohio START (Sobriety, Treatment, And Reducing Trauma), a statewide initiative that provides support to families affected by co-occurring parental substance use and child maltreatment. Study 1 involved quantitative data collected from 73 enrolled parents through pre-test and post-test telephone surveys. Study 2 (parent interviews) involved qualitative data collected through in-depth interviews with 34 enrolled parents. The paired-sample t-test and the McNemar test were conducted in Study 1 and thematic analysis was conducted in Study 2. Quantitative analysis indicated significant improvements in parental expectations of children (t = −3.42, p = .001, Cohen's d = −0.40), parent-child family roles (t = −5.74, p