Substance Use Interventions for Truant Adolescents

Brown University110 enrolled

Overview

This study evaluates a brief motivation-building intervention for parents and teens to reduce truancy and substance use. It is hypothesized that the motivational intervention will result in better outcomes compared to an education-only intervention.

Adolescents who use marijuana and are truant from school are a high-risk population with increased likelihood of substance use disorders, criminal justice involvement, and long-term impairments in vocational, family, and peer domains. This study will test a theory-driven intervention for early adolescent marijuana using, truant youth identified through Rhode Island Truancy and Family Courts. Adolescents will be randomly assigned to one of the 2 conditions: a motivational interview versus psychoeducation.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

110

Conditions

Adolescent Problem Behavior Truancy; Unsocialized Marijuana Abuse Truancy; Socialized Substance Abuse Alcohol Abuse

Interventions

Motivational + Family Check-up (MET+FCU)BEHAVIORAL

In the MET session, motivational strategies of individualized normative feedback, examining decisional balance, and providing information/advice will be used to support goals for behavior change and to examine barriers to changes. There are four specific phases of the FCU session: (1) Self-assessment: Parents are asked if they learned anything about their family from participating in the assessment. (2) Support and clarification: The interviewer supports the parent's self-assessment efforts, assesses their level of understanding, and clarifies issues within the family. (3) Feedback: A summary form of the assessment is reviewed. (4) Action Plan: Throughout the session, the counselor works with the parent to develop a brief, written Action Plan about communication and monitoring.

PsychoeducationOTHER

Psychoeducation about substances is provided to teens and parents.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 12 YearsMax age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * the target child is in 6th-10th grade at the start of the project and living at home with at least one parent/guardian, * the teen must report 6 or more incidences of marijuana use in the last 90 days (an approximation of biweekly use) * by law, the teen must have at least 20 unexcused absences in an academic year to be in truancy court, and (4) parental consent and teen assent are obtained. Exclusion Criteria: * the family is not able to speak and understand English or Spanish well enough to complete study procedures * developmental delay, as determined by school placements outside the regular classroom, that would affect comprehension of the intervention.

Locations (2)

Rhode Island Family Court

Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Brown Univerity

Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in Frequency of Marijuana Use

Total number of marijuana use days .

Time frame: Last 90 days at baseline, and 3, 6, and 12 months

Change in Quantity of Marijuana Use per Occasion of Use

Average quantity of marijuana use per day

Time frame: Last 90 days at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months

Secondary Outcomes

Change in Days truant from school

School attendance based on objective school records

Time frame: Last 90 days at baseline, and 3, 6, and 12 months

Change in Days truant from school, self-report

School attendance based on self-report

Time frame: Last 90 days at baseline, and 3, 6, and 12 months

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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