Learn about our projects and pilot projects.
Our Projects
Project 1: Scalable Video Coaching Intervention for Opioid-using Mothers
Background
This project tested a program called Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND), a video-based coaching intervention designed to support mothers with young children who have a history of opioid use. The goal was to strengthen parenting by highlighting positive, responsive interactions between caregivers and their children. The study enrolled mothers ages 18–50 with children under 4 years old who were currently in, or had been referred to, treatment for substance use. To evaluate FIND, the program was compared to another parenting support program, the Healthy Toddler Program (HTP), which focused on child development topics.
Summary of Approach
Mothers were randomly assigned to take part in either FIND or HTP. Both programs lasted 10 weeks and offered weekly coaching sessions. FIND used short video clips of parent–child interactions to guide discussions, while HTP covered general child development topics. The research team collected information through online surveys, virtual meetings, and brain scans (MRI). A tracking system kept all the data organized, and student research assistants helped with study visits and record-keeping.
Summary of Findings
Early progress included clean datasets, completed MRI preprocessing, and finalized codebooks for analysis.
Additional Reading:
- Clinical Trial Registration: Link
Project Lead(s): Philip Fisher and Shannon Peake
Contacts: Philip Fisher (philf@stanford.edu), Shannon Peake (peake@uoregon.edu), Alex Wagnon (awagnon@stanford.edu)
Project 2: Parenting Young Children
Background
The Family Check-Up Online (FCU-O) was developed to support parents managing stress, depression, and anxiety, especially those affected by substance use. The program aimed to help parents build positive parenting skills and improve family well-being. This study focused on parents of children ages 10 months to 5 years who lived with the parent at least half the time. The study partnered with pediatric clinics to test how well the program worked for parents and how acceptable it was in a medical setting.
Summary of Approach
Researchers tested how well the Family Check-Up Online (FCU-O) worked in pediatric clinics and whether it was a good fit for parents and providers. Parents were recruited through their child’s doctor and randomly assigned to use the FCU-O or not. Eligible parents were 18 or older, spoke English fluently, had a smartphone with email and text messaging, and had a history of family substance use. The team measured engagement through app usage, satisfaction surveys, and coaching session records, and interviewed some parents about comfort discussing substance use in a medical setting. Pediatric providers also gave feedback on how the program fit into their practice and possible barriers to offering it.
Summary of Findings
Parents who received the FCU-O intervention showed improvements in several parenting areas, including providing positive support to their children, setting appropriate limits, and taking proactive steps to prevent problems. Parents also reported feeling more confident in their parenting abilities. While parents' depressive symptoms improved at 3 months, these improvements did not last through the 12-month follow-up. However, the increased confidence parents felt at 3 months helped explain better outcomes at 12 months.
Additional Reading:
Project Lead(s): Beth Stormshak
Contacts: Allison Caruthers (ascaru@uoregon.edu)
Project 3: Parents Engaging Infants (PENGUIN Study)
Background
This project examined the role of self-compassion in pregnant individuals and its relationship to stress, depression, and anxiety. Participants included those with and without substance use disorders, recruited during pregnancy through Oregon Health & Science University. The study focused on how psychological resilience during pregnancy may impact both maternal well-being and child outcomes, particularly in populations at risk due to mental health or substance use challenges.
Summary of Approach
Researchers followed mothers at three key time points: during pregnancy (baseline), 6 weeks after giving birth, and 6 months after giving birth. The study examined how well mothers could manage their emotions and how past traumatic experiences affected their parenting abilities. Pregnant participants (ages 21–42), including those with and without substance use disorders, completed surveys during screening and again in their third trimester. The surveys measured self-compassion, stress, depression, and anxiety. Researchers analyzed the data to see how self-compassion was related to mental health during pregnancy and the first six months after birth.
Summary of Findings
Preliminary results suggested that higher self-compassion was linked to lower perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety during the prenatal period. These findings indicate that fostering self-compassion may help support mental health among pregnant individuals, including those with substance use histories. Future research is needed to assess these relationships over time through postpartum and early child development, and to develop targeted interventions.
Additional Reading:
- Study webpage: Link
Project Lead(s): Kristen Mackiewicz Seghete and Alice Graham
Contacts: Kristen Mackiewicz Seghete (mackiewi@ohsu.edu), Olivia Doyle (doyleo@ohsu.edu)
Data Collective
Background
The Data Collective was developed as a recruitment tool to connect individuals with research opportunities related to substance use, parenting, and pregnancy. Its purpose was to support studies aiming to better understand parenting behaviors in relation to substance use, mental health, and environmental factors. Participants were adults in Oregon who had recent substance use or treatment and were parenting a child under 18 or had a recent pregnancy. They completed an initial survey and follow-ups every six months for up to 2.5 years, answering questions about their background, mental health, and parenting styles. Over 500 people participated, creating a shared database that supported multiple research teams and helped inform programs for families affected by substance use.
Summary of Approach
The project team created and maintained a shared recruitment database to enroll eligible participants and track follow-up over time. This system allowed data from multiple waves—baseline and five follow-up surveys spaced approximately six months apart—to be collected in a consistent format. Data were compiled and organized for use by research teams studying the relationships between parenting behaviors, substance use, mental health, and environmental factors.
Summary of Findings
Findings not yet available
Additional Reading:
- ICPSR project page: Link
Project Lead(s): Leslie Leve and Camille Cioffi
Contacts: Kasie Josi (kjosi@uoregon.edu)
Our Pilot Projects
Coached Parent‑Child (CPC) Program for Corrections‑Involved Parents
Background:
This project adapted an online parenting program to better support parents returning to their families after incarceration and opioid use. Reentry can be stressful, with challenges like finding stable housing, maintaining recovery, and rebuilding family connections. Because children’s well-being is closely tied to their parents’ success, the project aimed to learn what kinds of support and information would be most helpful for families during this transition.
Summary of Approach
The Coached Parent–Child (CPC) program is a four-session telehealth intervention for corrections-involved parents with a history of opioid misuse and their children (ages 0–10). Delivered via Zoom in partnership with Sponsors, Inc., the program combines parenting skills training, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing to strengthen parenting, improve parent–child relationships, and support reentry. Twenty parent–child pairs in Lane County will participate, with assessments before, immediately after, and three months following the program to examine feasibility and early impacts on parenting, child adjustment, and opioid use.
Summary of Findings
Parents who completed the program reported greater confidence in their parenting, improved communication and problem-solving skills, better knowledge of community resources, stronger recovery planning, and lower parenting stress. Together, these results suggest that a short online program can be a valuable tool for supporting parents as they return home and reconnect with their families.
Additional Reading:
- Webinar on Coached Parent-Child Program: Link
- Service Needs for Corrections-Involved Parents With a History of Problematic Opioid Use: A Community Needs Assessment: Link
- Kjellstrand, J. (2017). Interventions for incarcerated parents and families: Link
Project Lead(s): Jean Kjellstrand
Contacts: Jean Kjellstrand (jeank@uoregon.edu)Back to Top
Development of the FLO Video-Coding Tool
Background
Parents with opioid use disorder (OUD) often show more negative and fewer positive interactions with their young children compared to other parents. These patterns can affect children’s development, but research on how parenting behaviors influence child outcomes in families affected by OUD is limited. Most studies rely on self-reports rather than direct observation, and the few existing observational methods are too time- and resource-heavy to be widely used. This project addresses that gap by creating a practical tool to measure parent–child interactions in families affected by OUD.
Summary of Approach
The team developed a systematic method for analyzing video recordings of parent-child interactions during intervention sessions. This tool was used to assess changes in parent behavior and child language outcomes over time by carefully coding specific behaviors and interactions captured on video.
Summary of Findings
Early studies that combined emotion-regulation skills with parent training found that parents reported getting better at managing their own emotions, helping their children handle feelings, and improving their overall parenting. These improvements were often quite large. Tracking changes over time showed that, for some parents, improvements in their own emotion management came before their children’s progress, though the patterns were different for each family. Parents rated the program as practical and doable, and they stayed engaged and regularly used the skills they learned.
Additional Reading:
- ICPSR Project Page: Link
Project Lead(s): Andrea Imhof
Contacts: Andrea Imhof (andrea.m.imhof@gmail.com)Back to Top
Fathering in Recovery (FIR)
Background
The study used a small randomized trial design to evaluate the Fathering in Recovery (FIR) intervention compared with usual services. The intervention combined parent group sessions, online training modules, and personalized feedback to target key constructs, including parenting knowledge, parenting efficacy, parenting skills, and substance use. Researchers assessed changes in these constructs from pre- to post- treatment to evaluate the intervention’s promise and to understand how fathers engaged with and applied the skills in the context of recovery.
Summary of Approach
The project team created and maintained a shared recruitment database to enroll eligible participants and track follow-up over time. This system allowed data from multiple visits—baseline and five follow-up surveys spaced approximately six months apart—to be collected in a consistent format. Data were compiled and organized for use by research teams studying the relationships between parenting behaviors, substance use, mental health, and environmental factors.
Summary of Findings
The results of a small randomized trial suggested that the Fathering in Recovery parent training intervention may improve parenting practices and parenting confidence among fathers with substance use disorders.
Additional Reading:
- Project Brief: Link
- Cioffi et al., 2023: Link
- Cioffi & DeGarmo, 2021: Link
- Clinical trial registration: Link
Project Lead(s): Camille Cioffi and Dave DeGarmo
Contacts: Camille Cioffi (ccioffi@uoregon.edu), Kasie Josi (kjosi@uoregon.edu)
Integrated DBT and Parent Training (Telehealth)
Background
The study aimed to help break the cycle of mental health difficulties by supporting parents in managing strong emotions and improving parenting skills. The program focused on parents of preschool-aged children and served as an initial step before a larger randomized trial. It was designed to help parents better manage their emotions while improving their parenting practices.
Summary of Approach
Researchers tested a 20-week online program for 12 parents with a history of substance use and difficulty managing emotions. The program was run over video calls and combined two approaches: DBT skills to help parents handle strong emotions and reduce substance use, and parenting strategies to support their children’s well-being. Offering the program through telehealth made it easier for parents to join and stay involved.
Summary of Findings
In a larger randomized trial, 16 mothers who completed the 48-week DBT Skills Training program used about 25% of their DBT skills specifically in parenting situations. The skills they applied most often included mindfulness, managing stressful situations, and regulating their emotions, suggesting these techniques may be particularly helpful when supporting parents who struggle with intense emotions.
Additional Reading:
- How mothers with severe emotion dysregulation use DBT skills in parenting contexts: observational coding of skills use in a DBT skills training group: Link
- ICPSR project page: Link
Project Lead(s): Yoel Everett
Contacts: Lynn Nashawi (lnashawi@uoregon.edu), Yoel Everett (yoeleverett@gmail.com)
Intergenerational Cycles of Substance Use
Background
The number of incarcerated women in the U.S. has risen dramatically—by 700% in the past 30 years. Many of these women struggle with substance use disorders, and most are mothers. Their incarceration can have lasting effects on children, including greater exposure to adversity, higher risk of substance use, and an increased chance of becoming justice-involved themselves. Despite these serious consequences, few studies have followed mothers with substance use histories and their children over time to understand how incarceration and substance use are passed down—or how some families break these cycles. This pilot study builds on an existing long-term study of women with histories of substance use and justice involvement, many of whom are now mothers to teenagers.
Summary of Approach
The study reconnected with mothers and their adolescent children. Researchers used online surveys to gather information about family background, youth experiences, substance use, justice involvement, and protective factors such as social support and positive experiences. Parents reported on their children’s outcomes, and youth shared their own perspectives through extended surveys. The study also built on 20 years of earlier information collected from the mothers about their life experiences. With this pilot, researchers focused on three main goals: (1) seeing how feasible it is to reconnect with teens and get them involved in the study, (2) learning about how common substance use and justice involvement are among these adolescents, and (3) exploring both the challenges—like the impact of a parent’s incarceration—and the strengths or supports that can help break cycles of substance use and incarceration across generations.
Summary of Findings
Findings not yet available
Additional Reading:
- Study webpage: Link
Project Lead(s): Maria Schweer-Collins
Contacts: Maria Schweer-Collins (mariasc@iastate.edu)
Mechanisms of Mentalization in Mothers Using Opioids
Background
This study looks at how mothers who use opioids think, manage emotions, and parent compared to mothers who do not use opioids. Parenting while in recovery can bring unique challenges, but researchers don’t know enough about how substance use affects day-to-day decision-making and relationships with children. By learning more, the project hopes to identify areas where support could be most helpful.
Summary of Approach
The study included 80 mothers between the ages of 18 and 45. Half were mothers in treatment for opioid use, and half were community members with similar backgrounds who did not use opioids. Each mother took part in a single 90-minute visit at the University of Oregon. During the session, participants completed short computer games that measured how people managed emotions and understood others, along with interviews and surveys about parenting and family life. All information was kept confidential, and participants received $75 for their time.
Project Lead(s): Kathryn Mills
Contacts: Kathryn Mills (klmills@uoregon.edu)
Pandemic Effects on Perinatal Women
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic increased stress and alcohol use in many groups, including new parents. The postpartum period is already a time of adjustment, and higher alcohol use during this stage can affect both parents’ well-being and child development. However, little was known about how alcohol use patterns developed during the pandemic or how stress shaped those patterns.
Summary of Approach
The project began with a survey to capture postpartum women’s experiences during the pandemic, including stress levels, coping strategies, and alcohol use. Based on this feedback, researchers designed and delivered a 4-week virtual support group program. The program focused on building peer connection, sharing coping strategies, and providing space for parents to manage stress in healthier ways. Outcomes were measured before the program, right after it ended, and several months later.
Summary of Findings
Parents who joined the virtual support groups reported feeling less isolated, more supported, and better able to cope with stress. Many also described learning healthier coping strategies and gaining confidence in managing postpartum challenges. These results suggest that even a short, online program can provide meaningful support for new parents during times of high stress, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional Reading:
- COVID-19 pandemic-related trauma symptoms are associated with postpartum alcohol consumption: Link
Project Lead(s): Kate Hails and Olivia Doyle
Contacts: Kate Hails (khails@uoregon.edu), Olivia Doyle (doyleo@ohsu.edu)
The PERO Study: Parenting, Emotion Regulation, and Opioids
Background
The PERO Study explored how chronic pain and substance use affect parenting and children’s mental health in mothers with elevated symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD). BPD involves difficulties with emotion regulation, impulsivity, and unstable relationships. While past studies have looked at chronic pain or substance use separately, this study examined how these factors interact and relate to parenting and children’s outcomes.
Summary of Approach
The study recruited mothers with elevated BPD symptoms to complete an online survey. The survey asked about mental health, substance use, pain, parenting behaviors, and children’s well-being. A smaller group of participants also completed a 21-day electronic daily diary to provide more detailed information on their day-to-day experiences and behaviors.
Summary of Findings
Findings not yet available
Additional Reading:
- ICPSR project page: Link
Project Lead(s): Maureen Zalewski
Contacts: Simone Mendes (smendes@uoregon.edu), Lynn Nashawi (lnashawi@uoregon.edu)
Substance Use and Suicide Risk in High-Risk Postpartum Women
Background
This substudy explored the trajectories of substance use abstinence and relapse across the perinatal period and associations between substance use, parenting stress, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (SITBs). Five risk factors were also examined: emotional dysregulation (ED), sleep disturbances, financial hardship, partner conflict, and pregnancy-or infant-specific parenting stress (e.g., crying), as well as the protective effects of reasons for living.
Summary of Approach
The team conducted a longitudinal study that followed women over time to track their emotion regulation abilities, parenting stress levels, and risk factors for suicide during the postpartum period among women with substance use histories.
Summary of Findings
Findings not yet available
Additional Reading:
- Primary study webpage: Link
Project Lead(s): Mandy Skoranski
Contacts: Maureen Zalewski (zalewski@uoregon.edu), Nicole Froidevaux (nfroidev@uoregon.edu), Lynn Nashawi (lnashawi@uoregon.edu)