An exploration of the factors influencing parental self-efficacy for parents recovering from substance use disorders using the social ecological framework.

BACKGROUND The evidence strongly links parental self-efficacy (PSE) to parenting behaviors and child health outcomes. PURPOSE The purpose of this article is to apply the social ecological model to the exploration of contextual factors that influence PSE for parents recovering from substance use disorders (SUDs). METHODS An integrative review of the literature was conducted on PSE, parenting behaviors, and parents recovering from alcohol and other SUDs through the application of the social ecological model. RESULTS The results indicated that there are many individual, interpersonal, and environmental variables that influence PSE for parents with or without addiction. CONCLUSIONS Because PSE is a strong predictor of parenting behaviors and child health outcomes, interventions designed to improve PSE may improve the overall health outcomes of families affected by SUD. These interventions would need to address intrapersonal factors of guilt and shame associated with addiction, parenting knowledge (individual), social support (interpersonal), social networking of church, and other community support programs. The integral role of community support, multiagency collaboration (organizational), and national policies (policy) impacting funding for SUD should also be considered. Intervening on multiple ecological systems simultaneously can mitigate negative factors predictive of PSE, improve access to healthcare and service delivery, and transform and sustain positive behavioral changes for parents recovering from SUD.