The Effectiveness of Self-Help Groups for Adolescent Substance Misuse: A Systematic Review

Abstract

A review of the effectiveness and potential harms of self-help groups in substance-misusing adolescents was performed. Twelve studies were examined. All studies were case series with important methodological shortcomings. The findings of these studies were summarized using a narrative synthesis approach. Results indicated that self-help group attendance appears to reduce alcohol and drug use, including abstinence. However, the lack of methodological rigor in these studies precludes definitive conclusions.

Can the group harm the individual? Reviewing potential iatrogenic effects of group treatment for adolescent substance use.

“…The same enthusiasm cannot be roused for group-based recovery support, for which little effectiveness research exists (see Bekkering et al, 2016). That said, we believe recovery support science is a growth market and anticipate a blossom of controlled studies over the next decade.…”

“…Research-tested continuing care services range from text message affirmations and prompts, to structured phone outreach by nonprofessionals, to booster sessions in the original treatment setting (e.g., Garner, Godley, Passetti, Funk, & White, 2014; Godley et al, 2014; Godley et al, 2010). Mutual help groups, which incorporate a self-help approach within the context of reciprocal support, are facilitated by peers rather than professionals, free of charge, and open to the public (Bekkering, Mariën, Parylo, & Hannes, 2016; Winters et al, 2011). Based largely on principles of twelve-step facilitation (see Humphreys et al, 2004), mutual help groups provide peer support via shared recovery experiences within group and mentoring relationships with senior peers (sponsors) outside group (Bekkering et al, 2016; Kelly, Bergman, & Fallah-Sohy, 2018).…”

“…Mutual help groups, which incorporate a self-help approach within the context of reciprocal support, are facilitated by peers rather than professionals, free of charge, and open to the public (Bekkering, Mariën, Parylo, & Hannes, 2016; Winters et al, 2011). Based largely on principles of twelve-step facilitation (see Humphreys et al, 2004), mutual help groups provide peer support via shared recovery experiences within group and mentoring relationships with senior peers (sponsors) outside group (Bekkering et al, 2016; Kelly, Bergman, & Fallah-Sohy, 2018). For adolescents as well as adults, mutual help groups are the most frequently used mechanism of recovery support in the United States (Bergman, Kelly, Fallah-Sohy, & Makhani, 2018; Dennis et al, 2014; Winters et al, 2011).…”

“…By contrast, the evidence base for peer-based recovery supports is uniformly thin. A recent systematic review of research on mutual help groups for youth by Bekkering et al (2016) located not a single randomized trial, only a dozen correlational and case studies judged to have low rigor: None of the studies met the authors' threshold for acceptable methodological quality. Studies overall documented a negligible amount of adverse events, and most studies that tracked client outcomes found that greater session attendance rates were associated with greater abstinence rates during follow-up-though evidence of improved substance use outcomes was absent in studies of highest methodological quality.…”

All Awareness and No Action: Can Social Work Leverage Creative Arts’ Potential?

“…At the same time, many individuals engage independently in self-care and do not seek professional help or engage in peerto-peer support (Bekkering, Mariën, Parylo, & Hannes, 2016). Simply engaging in everyday creative activity has shown to have positive health and well-being benefits (Conner, DeYoung, & Silvia, 2016).…”