title: Substance use recovery outcomes among a cohort of youth participating in a mobile-based texting aftercare pilot program.
abstract: Project ESQYIR (Educating & Supporting Inquisitive Youth in Recovery) is a pilot study examining the feasibility of a 12-week mobile-based aftercare intervention for youth (ages 12 to 24) transitioning out of community-based substance abuse treatment programs. From January 2012 through July 2013, a total of 80 youth were recruited from outpatient and residential treatment programs, geographically dispersed throughout Los Angeles County, California. Results revealed that youth who participated in the texting mobile pilot intervention were significantly less likely to relapse to their primary compared to the aftercare as usual control condition (OR=0.52, p=0.002) over time (from baseline throughout the 12-week aftercare pilot program to a 90-day follow-up). Participants in the texting aftercare pilot program also reported significantly less substance use problem severity (β=-0.46, p=0.03) and were more likely to participate in extracurricular recovery behaviors (β=1.63, p=0.03) compared to participants in the standard aftercare group. Collectively, findings from this pilot aftercare study suggest that mobile texting could provide a feasible way to engage youth in recovery after substance abuse treatment to aid with reducing relapse and promoting lifestyle behavior change.
authors.affiliation: University of California at Los Angeles, Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, Los Angeles, CA; Azusa Pacific University, Psychology Department, Azusa, CA. Electronic address: rachelmg@ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gonzales
authors.affiliation: University of California at Los Angeles, Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ang
authors.affiliation: University of California at Los Angeles, Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: Debra A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: University of California at Los Angeles, School of Public Health, Department of Community Health Sciences, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: Deborah C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Glik
authors.affiliation: University of California at Los Angeles, Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: M Douglas
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Anglin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000379:methods; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000379:methods; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D060145:Text Messaging; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aftercare Recovery Pilot Program; Drug use relapse outcomes; Mobile texting; Project ESQYIR; Youth