Date of Conferral

4-10-2024

Date of Award

April 2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Social Work

Advisor

Thomas McLaughlin

Abstract

Parental substance use is associated with an increased risk for child maltreatment. The rise of parental substance use in Ohio led the state to implement Ohio START (sobriety, treatment, and reducing trauma), an evidence-based model that incorporates lived experience through peer recovery services embedded within child protection agencies. Researchers have studied the benefits of peer recovery services in community settings but have not extensively explored potential impacts among child protection populations. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the timeliness and quantity of Ohio START peer recovery services and the length of parental sobriety at case closure. Roberts’s crisis intervention model was the theoretical framework for this study. There were two research questions. Data for this quantitative, correlational study of a cross-sectional nature were collected from an existing Ohio START data set (N = 337). Data analysis featured multiple linear regression. The findings showed that no statistically significant relationship existed (p = .890) between the length of time to the initial peer recovery service and the number of months of parental sobriety at case closure. However, the months of parental sobriety at case closure increased by .037 for every additional contact with the peer recovery specialist (p = < .001, β= .037). This finding demonstrates the critical role of the peer recovery services within Ohio START in helping parents achieve sobriety. By improving parental sobriety outcomes, child protection professionals may be able to reduce the risk for child maltreatment among families. Future research is recommended to examine the effectiveness of peer recovery services with non-Ohio START child protection populations.

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