Adolescents With Substance Use Disorders Transitioníng From Residential Treatment to the Community

Study Summary

Adolescents with substance use disorders (ASUD) in residential treatment have the most serious substance use disorders and the highest rates of psychological, motivational, behavioral, legal, environmental, and vocational problems. ASUD in residential treatment are also at high risk of relapse, with follow-up studies suggesting that 60% of ASUD will relapse within 90 days of discharge. Parenting practices have been established as a key influence on adolescents' initiation and maintenance of substance use, as well as their substance use outcomes and likelihood of relapse. However, therapists who treat ASUD have reported a myriad of systemic barriers to engaging parents in treatment. Findings such as these deem ASUD in residential treatment a high priority population and argue for the value of easily accessible parenting interventions during this critical time. The proposed study evaluates a low cost, low intensity model for delivering parenting skills to parents preparing for their adolescent's discharge from residential substance use (SU) treatment. Specifically, this project involves adapting the delivery of a computerized parenting intervention (Parenting Wisely; PW) that has preliminary evidence of efficacy in improving parenting skills and reducing youth behavior problems. This study adapts the delivery of PW for a new population (parents of ASUD) and new setting (residential treatment), and obtains initial data on its feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness. As a first step, an open trial with 10 parents was conducted to develop and pilot an adapted version of PW that included moderate engagement strategies: in-person coaching sessions, daily text messages containing reminders of parenting skills and links to video vignettes, and an online parent forum containing two networking boards (Ask an Expert and Connect with Parents). In the current phase, a pilot randomized trial with 60 parents will compare an adapted PW plus treatment as usual (TAU) condition (

Primary Outcome

Global Appraisal of Individual Needs - Quick Version (GAIN-Q3) is a well-validated substance use screening tool used to assess adolescent substance use in a range of settings. Substance consumption information is collected using a calendar format with temporal cues (e.g., holidays) to assist in recall of days when alcohol and other drugs were used. Possible number of days range from 0 to 90. Values are adjusted to reflect the proportion of days used outside of controlled environment, with final

Conditions Studied

Interventions

• BEHAVIORAL Treatment as Usual
• BEHAVIORAL Parenting Wisely+

Study Locations (2)