Building on shared experiences: The evaluation of a phone-based parent-to-parent support program for helping parents with their child's substance misuse.

AIMS: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a phone-based parent-to-parent support program, in which parents who have had children with substance use problems provided support and guidance to other parents seeking help about their child's substance misuse.

METHOD: 228 parents completed a 2.5-day coach workshop and 6-months of ongoing training and support in the Invitation to Change Approach (ITC), a program blending evidence-based strategies for addressing substance use disorders. Trained parent coaches provided support and guidance to 278 parents for up to 8 weeks. We evaluated the coach trainees' satisfaction with the training program and pre-post differences in self-care and the use of communication and behavior management strategies among parents who called the helpline.

RESULTS

The coach training program was rated as very satisfying, useful, and coaches would recommend the training to other parents. Among parents enrolled in the coaching program, a significantly greater proportion reported improvements on a majority of the survey items (e.g. a decrease in depression and better communication with child).

CONCLUSIONS

Remote parent-to-parent coaching appears promising for providing emotional and evidence-based informational support to family members parenting a child with substance use problems.