Baystate Researcher Receives NIH Grant to Support Parents Recovering from SUDs
SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Health has been awarded a new one-year award for $452,985 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to enhance support for parents recovering from substance use disorders (SUDs) by strengthening the parent-child relationship.
The funded project, Relational Health Enhanced Parenting Support (RHEP), seeks to improve the provision of parenting support within family-focused peer recovery support services. Under the leadership of Dr. Lili Peacock-Chambers, pediatrician and researcher at Baystate Health and associate professor at UMass Chan Medical School – Baystate, and Jessie Borelli, professor of Psychology in the School of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine, the study aims to facilitate the development of stronger and healthier parent-child relationships among parents in recovery, which is critical for both sustained recovery and positive child development.
“Parenting can be one of the most powerful motivators for recovery, but it also brings unique challenges that can trigger stress or relapse,” Peacock-Chambers said. “This project recognizes that, with the right support, the parent-child relationship can be a source of healing, resilience, and long-term recovery. Our goal is to empower peer recovery specialists with the tools they need to deliver meaningful parenting support alongside recovery services.”
During this initial year of the award, the RHEP initiative will be developed and refined in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the FIRST Steps Together program, a statewide home-visiting initiative supporting parents in recovery. The goal will be to create a package of training, consultation, and tailored implementation strategies that will prepare peer recovery staff at six FIRST Steps Together sites in Massachusetts to more effectively integrate parenting and recovery support into their work with families.
Once the development phase is complete, the award may be extended for an additional four years and $4 million to evaluate the model’s impact on parenting outcomes, treatment retention, and reductions in substance use among participating families. The project will ultimately generate a practical implementation toolkit to facilitate the expansion of evidence-based parenting support in peer-led recovery programs nationwide.
“This grant represents an important step forward in bridging recovery and family health,” Peacock-Chambers said. “By strengthening the systems that support both parents and children, we can help families affected by substance use disorder thrive together.”
The funding will be used to support this research in communities across Massachusetts.