Abstract:  The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of a blended infant massage-parenting enhancement program (IMPEP) on parenting stress, hope, and infant development in recovering substance-abusing mothers (SAMs) and to determine whether IM has a value added effect on these outcomes. Researchers contend that parenting stress increases the risk for drug addiction and threatens infant health. It is unclear whether parenting stress increases the risk for drug addiction and is associated with poor infant development. Infant health is a major concern, for just as the drug-exposed infant requires a higher level of health care, SAMs are driven simultaneously to satisfy the intense cravings created by their addiction (Gottwald and Thurman,1994). Based on Bandura’s (1981) Social Learning Theory, it was hypothesized that SAMs who participated in the blended Infant Massage-Parenting Enhancement Program (IMPEP) will have better health outcomes (parenting stress, hope, infant development) than their counterparts.  It was also hypothesized that hope is a modulating factor in parenting stress. The 3-group randomized controlled trial on 90 mother-infant pairs involved data collection at 5 test periods using the Parenting Stress Index, Herth Hope Scale, & the Bayley Scales of Infant Development.The mothers had a mean age of 29 and a history of 1- 4 abortions. Statistical analysis of baseline and post-intervention data revealed a significant relationship between hope and parenting stress (r=.562, p=.005) and differences between treatment and control groups (p≤.05), lending support for the hypotheses. Study findings provide a database for nurse practitioners, public health professionals, and substance abuse service providers for the development of client-tailored parenting enhancement programs.