Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Clinicians' Self-Help Meeting Referral Practices and Adolescent Attendance Rates

Abstract

Clinicians in adolescent substance abuse treatment programs often recommend attendance at 12-Step meetings; however, there has been no systematic study of their referral practices or possible influence on attendance rates. Quantitative and qualitative data were used to examine: (a) the self-help referral practices of clinicians employed in adolescent substance abuse treatment programs; and (b) the potential relationship between practices and self-help attendance. Data were analyzed from open-ended interviews with 28 clinicians at eight CSAT-funded SCY sites and from follow-up interviews with over 1,600 adolescents. Results indicated that clinicians referred adolescents almost exclusively to 12-Step groups. Various factors were considered when recommending attendance, including substance use severity and ability to grasp 12-Step concepts. Meeting age composition and availability were common influences when suggesting specific meetings. Clinicians who described their treatment programs as "12-Step based" and actively linked adolescents to groups tended to be employed at sites that had the highest overall rates of self-help attendance. Findings suggest that if clinicians want to facilitate self-help attendance, they might assess the "fit" between individual adolescents and particular meetings. Additionally, programs may want to develop and train staff in standardized referral procedures. Further research is needed to empirically test referral strategies with adolescents.

Gendered Members of Alcoholics Anonymous: Varieties of Spiritual Experiences in Recovery

“…The findings from this study are consistent with prior research that documents in spite of recommendation to maintain their participation in AA (or NA) many young people eventually drop out of participation (Kelly, Brown, Abrantes, Kahler, & Myers et al, 2008) and that only those with more severe substance use disorders tend to affiliate with these programs (Kelly, Myers, & Brown, 2002;Kelly, Brown, et al, 2008). Other research by Passetti and Godley (2008) suggests that recovery groups can be preventive and offer support even for less severe cases. Passetti and White (2007), too, recommend treatment professionals be assertive and familiar with recovery group options for young people.…”

Recovery Management: What If We Really Believed That Addiction Was a Chronic Disorder?

“…These assertive procedures include orientation to the value of recovery support group participation; an introduction to support group choices and the philosophy, language, and meeting rituals of various groups; encouragement to set a personal goal for group participation; use of a volunteer "guide" to facilitate entry into recovery support group networks and meetings; provision of transportation to meetings; and processing responses to meetings [69,70]. Assertive linkage to recovery support groups early in addiction treatment increases posttreatment participation rates and recovery outcomes for adults [71][72][73] and adolescents [74]. The same assertive linkage procedures used for recovery support groups are also used to link people to other recovery support institutions.…”

Recovery Support Meetings for Youths: Considerations When Referring Young People to 12-Step and Alternative Groups

“…Further evidence suggests that professional inpatient programs with a 12-step orientation facilitate AA and/or NA participation immediately following treatment for a number of clients, at least in the short term (Kelly, Myers, & Rodolico, in press;Passetti & Godley, 2008).…”

“…Another concern was that young people who tend to make poor relationship choices could form inappropriate relationships with other adults or adolescents in these meetings. Both sets of circumstances may test youths' ability to remain clean and sober (Passetti & Godley, 2008).…”

“…Interviews with 28 clinicians employed in adolescent substance-abuse treatment programs across the country revealed that age composition of group members was one of the most common factors considered when referring adolescents to 12-step meetings (Passetti & Godley, 2008). Research conducted to date supports the belief that those youths who attend meetings with at least a substantial proportion of adolescents after inpatient treatment have significantly better substance-use outcomes (Kelly & Myers, 1997;Kelly, Myers, & Brown, 2005), higher frequency of attendance, and greater perceptions of the importance of meeting attendance.…”