Mothering from the Inside Out (MIO) parenting support for mothers in recovery
A Type I Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trial of "Mothering from the Inside Out" (MIO)
This project offers the MIO parenting program to help mothers with substance use disorders better understand and respond to their children's needs while supporting recovery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baystate Medical Center, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Springfield, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11193798 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be offered MIO sessions that teach skills to notice and manage your emotions during parenting and to better understand your child's signals. The program is attachment-based and has been delivered both by researchers and by counselors in community substance use treatment programs. Study staff will follow parents and children over time to track caregiving, parent emotional insight, child attachment, and maternal mental health and substance use outcomes. The team will also look at what helps or hinders counselors delivering MIO in real-world clinics so the program can work well outside of research sites.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Mothers with current or recent substance use disorders who are engaged with outpatient SUD treatment and who have young children (infants through about age 11) would be the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People without a history of substance use disorder, those not caring for young children, or those not connected to participating treatment programs are unlikely to be eligible or to benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, MIO could strengthen parent-child relationships, reduce parental distress and relapse risk, and improve children's emotional security.
How similar studies have performed: Prior researcher-delivered randomized trials of MIO showed improvements in parental reflective functioning, caregiving, and child attachment, but community counselor delivery produced smaller effects, motivating this implementation-focused work.
Where this research is happening
Springfield, United States
- Baystate Medical Center, INC. — Springfield, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Peacock-Chambers, Elizabeth — Baystate Medical Center, INC.
- Study coordinator: Peacock-Chambers, Elizabeth
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.