MAINTENANCE OF TREATMENT GAINS IN ADOLESCENTS WITH ARD

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The limited literature on adolescent substance abuse treatment reveals high levels of relapse to alcohol and marijuana use. It has been argued that relapse can be reduced by greater involvement of youth with alcohol related disorders (ARD) in aftercare programs. The purpose of the study is to address the need for effective maintenance of treatment gains for adolescents. The primary goal is to assess and compare the efficacy of three aftercare conditions, two of which represent different modalities of aftercare intervention: (1) manual guided Individualized Cognitive- Behavioral Therapy (ICBT) sessions addressing alcohol/substance use and multidimensional functioning; and (2) manual guided Individualized Brief Therapeutic Phone Contacts (IBTPC) utilizing CBT based problem solving techniques. The third aftercare condition will be a No Intervention Condition (NIC). This investigation is intended to answer the following questions: Is there differential treatment outcome between the NIC and each of the other conditions? If aftercare for adolescents is effective at all, are there differential outcomes between the ICBT and IBTPC? A total of 240 adolescents 13-18 years of age who have been diagnosed with DSM-IV ARD will participate in an intent-to-treat study comprised of three phases: 3-month treatment phase, 3-month aftercare phase, and 12- month follow-up phase. Participants will be randomly assigned before any treatment into one of three aftercare conditions, and then they will enroll in 9-weekly manual guided CBT group sessions. The experimental aftercare conditions include: (a) 5 ICBT sessions, (b) 5 IBTPC on a similar schedule, or (c) NIC. Then the adolescents will be followed for an additional 12- month period. Treatment outcome assessments will be conducted upon completion of planned aftercare, and at 6, and 12 months later. It is anticipated that the aftercare intervention may sustain sobriety, or reduction in use, decrease the intensity (i.e., frequency, quantity) of relapse and related negative consequences, and improve overall functioning of the participants.