Evaluating Portable, Family-Based Drug Treamtment for Juveniles
Treatment programs for adolescents who abuse alcohol and drugs typically serve groups of teens in restrictive, residential settings located away from their families, peers, and schools. There is increasing evidence, however, that family dynamics crucially influence a teenager’s decision to use or to refuse alcohol and drugs. Among eight risk factors for adolescent drug use identified by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, three relate to family experiences generally or to parenting in particular. Vera is now researching how treatment that serves juvenile delinquents in the context of their families and communities affects their future use of drugs and alcohol and their subsequent involvement in crime.
The heart of the study is an evaluation of Adolescent Portable Therapy (APT), a Vera demonstration project that treats the heaviest substance users in their homes and elsewhere in the community and intimately involves their primary caregivers in the treatment process. Through family counseling and behavior support specifically for teenagers, APT expects to reduce drug use and delinquency.
APT represents a new way of responding to juvenile substance abuse, and study of the model will determine whether it works and also will answer crucial questions about providing drug treatment outside of a clinical environment. The researchers expect to learn how often therapists need to be in contact with families for treatment to produce results, how much and what kind of additional support teenagers themselves need, and which teens and parents are most likely to benefit from portable, family-based drug treatment. (To learn more about the design of the research and its challenges, go to the Methods page.)
The researchers are aided by the program’s database, which documents every therapeutic and administrative event—literally thousands of actions. By downloading information from the Program Management Application (PMA), they can track how APT is evolving and, ultimately, understand how the program and changes in it over time influence outcomes.
Initial findings are encouraging and suggest that APT reduces teenage drug use and improves school attendance while families are receiving treatment services.(For more information go to the Preliminary Findings page.)
The research also is contributing information about the prevalence of substance use—particularly in its more serious manifestations—among juveniles involved in the justice system and its consequences for adolescents and for whole families.
E-mail questions about this research to
Jim Parsons , senior researcher and principal investigator.