PuP Empirical Research

• PuP4Dads NIHR Final Report (2022)

  The Final report of the NIHR PuP4Dads Report carried out in Scotland is now published. The feasibility study, lead by Prof. Anne Whittaker (Stirling University), aimed to evaluate PuP with fathers of men receiving treatment for substance misuse.

• PuP UK RCT (2019)

  Results of RCT carried out in the UK by Professor Jane Barlow. The RCT compared the Parents under Pressure with Treatment as Usual in a sample of parents engaged in community-based substance misuse services and were primary caregivers of children less than 2.5 years of age.

• PuP Australian RCT (2007)

  The study reports on the results of a randomized controlled trial of the Parents under Pressure (PuP) program that compared outcomes of families with a parent on methadone maintenance who received PuP with families who received standard care.

• Feasibility study of a family-focused intervention to improve outcomes for children with FASD (2017)

  A study providing preliminary support for the feasibility of an adapted version of the PuP program. Thus, offering a potential multi-component option, that aims to improve self-regulatory skills for children with FASD, through focusing on improving the parent-child relationship and incorporating mindfulness-based techniques for both parents and children.

• Using the PuP program to assess capacity to change in high risk expectant mothers (2017)

  Pre-birth risk assessment is a process by which circumstances affecting an unborn child can be identified and support for mother and infant embedded. This mixed methods study describes a community-based pre-birth assessment and care pathway that utilised the Parents Under Pressure (PuP) programme to assess parenting capacity and provide support pre- and post-birth for ‘at risk’ women.

• Evaluation of PuP at Coolmine, Dublin, Ireland (2018)

  Coolmine Therapeutic Community has been using the Parents under Pressure (PuP) programme since 2016 to support mothers and fathers in residential and community addiction services across Ireland. This evaluation was conducted by Trinity College Dublin and reports both qualitative and quantitative outcomes.

• Over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (2020)

  The over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child protection system is a serious concern in Australia. This paper considers factors that may influential in this process incorporating a discussion on decision making theory and decision thresholds.

• Moderators and mediators of outcomes for parents taking part in the PuP program (2021)

  The PuP program supports families to make change. While there is growing evidence for efficacy, it is clear that not all families benefit. This study investigated the predictors of change and undertook an analysis of the mechanism of change. Notably, improvements in parental emotional regulation post treatment was associated with reductions in child abuse potential at 12 months.

• Improving parental psychopathology supports parental mindfulness for families engaged in the PuP program (2022)

  The PuP program embeds both formal and informal mindfulness practices in the therapeutic family support process. This study adds to evidence for effectiveness of the PuP program. In a cohort of 164 parents engaged in community addiction services, there was a significant improvement in parental psychopathology and mindful parenting. Importantly, parents with the greater reduction in psychopathology mid treatment, showed greatest improvements in minful parenting post treatment.