A randomized wait-list controlled trial to investigate the role of cognitive mechanisms in parenting interventions on mothers with substance use disorder

BACKGROUND: Maternal substance use disorder (SUD) represents a risk condition for quality of parenting and child development. The current literature highlights the need to identify interventions that effectively enhance the quality of parenting and to better understand which mechanisms are involved in the process of change. The present study protocol describes a randomized wait-list controlled trial that aims to examine (1) the efficacy of the Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD) in improving the quality of parenting (i.e., sensitive parenting and sensitive discipline) in mothers with SUD, (2) whether the intervention affects parental cognitive mechanisms (i.e., attentional disengagement to infant negative emotions, inhibitory control confronted with children’s affective expression, and parental reflective functioning), and (3) whether changes in these processes act as mechanisms of change, mediating the effect of the VIPP-SD program on quality of parenting. Moreover, the study aims (4) to explore whether the VIPP-SD has an effect on parenting stress and (5) to compare mothers with SUD to low-risk mothers on the outcome measures. METHODS: The study will involve 40 mothers with SUD and 20 low-risk mothers of children aged between 14 months and 6 years old. Mothers in the SUD group will be randomly divided into two groups, one receiving the intervention (SUD experimental group) and one undergoing treatment as usual (SUD control group). All the mothers will be assessed pre-test and post-test. Quality of parenting will be assessed through observed parenting behaviors, whereas parental cognitive mechanisms will be assessed through neuropsychological tasks and self-report measures. DISCUSSION: The results of the study will reveal whether an intervention that has been proven effective in other at-risk samples is also effective in improving parenting behaviors in the context of SUD. The results will also provide insight into potential cognitive mechanisms involved in the process of change. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN registry ISRCTN63070968. Registered on 25 June 2021. Retrospectively registered SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-022-06420-8.