title: Smartphone and Mobile Application Utilization Prior to and Following Treatment Among Individuals Enrolled in Residential Substance Use Treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Following completion of substance use treatment, it is crucial for patients to continue to utilize skills learned in treatment for optimal treatment outcomes. Mobile applications (apps) on smartphones offer a unique platform to promote utilization of evidence-based skills following completion of substance use treatment. Despite the promise of mobile apps and smartphones for treatment delivery, it remains unknown whether patients in substance use treatment in the United States have access to smartphones and utilize mobile apps on smartphones. The present study sought to determine smartphone utilization among individuals enrolled in one residential substance use treatment center in the U.S. catering specifically to low-income adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included 251 individuals at a residential substance use treatment center in Washington DC admitted to the center between March, 2014 and January, 2015. During the intake process, participants completed interviewer-administered demographics and psychiatric questionnaires as well as a self-report of technology utilization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results indicated that the majority of patients in this residential substance use treatment center owned mobile phones prior to treatment entry (86.9%) and expected to own mobile phones after leaving treatment (92.6%). Moreover, the majority of these phones were (68.5%) or will be smartphones (72.4%) on which patients reported utilizing mobile applications (prior to treatment: 61.3%; post treatment: 64.3%) and accessing the Internet (prior to treatment: 61.3%; post treatment: 65.9%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mobile phone and smartphone ownership among this sample were comparable to ownership among U.S. adults broadly. Findings suggest that smartphones and mobile apps may hold clinical utility for fostering continued use of treatment skills following substance use treatment completion.
authors.affiliation: Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research, University of Maryland, College Park, 2103 Cole Student Activities Building, College Park, MD, 20742, United States. Electronic address: jdahne@umd.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dahne
authors.affiliation: Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research, University of Maryland, College Park, 2103 Cole Student Activities Building, College Park, MD, 20742, United States.
authors.forename: Carl W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lejuez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063731:Mobile Applications / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010067:Ownership; D012114:Residential Treatment; D000068997:Smartphone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Mobile applications; Smartphones; Substance use treatment; Technology