Following up on the Family Spirit program for American Indian families
Research Project 1
This project checks if a home visiting program called Family Spirit helps American Indian mothers and their children avoid long-term substance use and suicide.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11101283 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
We are looking back at American Indian mothers and their children who participated in the Family Spirit home visiting program 16 years ago. This program, designed with American Indian communities, taught positive parenting and addressed maternal stress, substance use, and depression. We want to see if the program's positive effects on mothers' well-being and parenting skills have led to lasting benefits for both mothers and their children, specifically regarding substance use and suicide prevention. Our goal is to understand if early support can create a healthier future for these families over many years.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This follow-up involves American Indian mothers and their children who previously participated in the Family Spirit program.
Not a fit: Patients who did not participate in the original Family Spirit program would not directly benefit from this specific follow-up.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could show that early childhood home visiting programs can have lasting positive effects on preventing substance use and suicide in American Indian communities.
How similar studies have performed: The original Family Spirit program showed significant improvements in parenting efficacy and reduced substance use and depressive symptoms in mothers.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Barlow, Mary Allison — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Barlow, Mary Allison
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.