Participation with online recovery specific groups - findings from the UK Life in Recovery survey 2015

Abstract

As the concept of recovery has expanded, and become embedded in drug and alcohol policy, so too has the proliferation of online recovery support. This paper explores data from the UK Life in Recovery survey (Best et al., 2015), focusing on online recovery methods categorised as: Online Groups, Websites, and Smartphone Applications. While 301 people (39.30%) reported involvement with at least one online recovery method, chi-square tests reveal significant associations between people in stable recovery (five years or more) and the use of recovery applications (Cramer's V= 0.114), as well as between people in full-time employment and the use of online recovery websites or recovery applications. Having dependent children was not associated with use of any online recovery method, yet gender was (Cramer's V= 0.088). This study extends the relatively limited literature and knowledge base of online recovery methods. While the evidence points to higher engagement of recovery websites and apps for people in stable recovery, encouraging online recovery methods for individuals in early recovery may support recovery efforts when the risk of returning to substance misuse and active using social networks remains high. Further research should investigate the mechanisms of recovery change, with a focus on gender differences.

Barriers to and Facilitators of User Engagement With Digital Mental Health Interventions: Systematic Review

“…Some demographic variables were found to be associated with DMHI engagement. Studies that found an effect of gender showed that women were more likely to adopt and engage with interventions [ 44 , 52 - 68 ]. Overall, 8 studies saw an effect of age: 2 studies found that people aged ≤50 years engaged more with interventions than older adults [ 66 , 67 ].…”

“…Other demographic variables associated with user engagement were as follows: (1) employment status, with people who worked full time more likely to use the intervention than people who were retired [ 66 ] or unemployed [ 54 , 68 ]; (2) education, with participants with higher education reporting more acceptance of interventions than people with lower education (a high school diploma or lower) [ 74 - 76 ]; and (3) housing situation, with people who were experiencing homelessness responding less to messages sent by a phone intervention compared with individuals with stable housing [ 55 ].…”

Sex and Gender Effects in Recovery from Alcohol Use Disorder

“… 79 A large survey study in the United Kingdom showed that women were more likely than men to use online recovery groups (but not recovery websites or apps). 80 A separate study examining use of one social network site for SUD recovery also found a higher proportion of women than men using the site. 81 Secondary analyses of an effectiveness trial testing a computer-assisted behavioral intervention (compared to treatment as usual) did not find gender to moderate the effect of treatment condition; however, results did show that acceptability of the computerized intervention was positively associated with abstinence among women, but not men.…”

Characterizing Participation and Perceived Engagement Benefits in an Integrated Digital Behavioral Health Recovery Community for Women: A Cross-Sectional Survey

“…Although the use of technology to support and deliver SUD intervention and treatment services has been well studied [7-11], the exploration of digital recovery support services (D-RSSs) would benefit from additional research [12,13], especially as it relates to gender-specific support for women. Studies examining D-RSSs have primarily focused on exploratory utilization and perception outcomes and the characterization of the populations engaging in such supports, including adolescents [14-17] and adults [18-24]. Among these studies, there have also been the characterization of ethnic and racial minorities [25], as well as international citizens [26-28].…”

“…In addition, an experimental study showed that combining digital recovery support with care as usual improved outcomes (in this instance, number of risky drinking days) compared with the control of care as usual only [29]. D-RSSs may take on several distinct forms, including recovery social networking sites (R-SNS) [19,20,22-24,26,30], which include mutual aid forums and websites and may be private or public; smartphone apps [15,25,27,29]; Web-based apps [19,31]; short message service text messaging [14,16,32]; combinations of smartphone apps and external sensors (eg, breathalyzers; [28]). Despite these different forms, several consistent support mechanisms appear across each type of D-RSS, including peer-to-peer support, information dissemination, and resource sharing.…”