Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, South Africa.
Division of Addiction Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa.
Int J Psychol. 2020 Dec;55(6):1016-1025. doi: 10.1002/ijop.12668. Epub 2020 Apr 13.
Substance use is prevalent among South African adolescents, but few interventions exist to reduce risk of harm. This study assesses the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects of a brief intervention for reducing adolescent substance use and other risk behaviours. This single-arm feasibility test recruited 30 substance-using adolescents and their primary caregiver. Participants received separate interventions (2 sessions for adolescents, 1 session for caregivers), with a subsample randomly selected for post-intervention interviews. Feasibility was measured by the proportion of eligible adolescents who were enrolled and retained in the study. Interviews explored acceptability, and changes in outcomes from baseline to 1-month follow-up assessed preliminary effects of the intervention. Thirty of 43 (69.8%) eligible adolescents and their caregivers were enrolled, with 29 adolescents (96.7%) and 28 caregivers (93.3%) completing the intervention. Twenty-eight adolescents (93.3%) and 29 caregivers (96.7%) were retained at follow-up. Frequency of alcohol, cannabis use and delinquent-type behaviours decreased significantly from baseline to follow-up. Participants appreciated the intervention content and delivery and felt that it facilitated behaviour change. Suggestions for improving the intervention were provided. This study found that the intervention is feasible, acceptable and had promising effects on adolescent behaviour. Efficacy must be established with a randomised controlled trial.
南非青少年普遍存在物质使用问题，但减少危害风险的干预措施却很少。本研究评估了一种减少青少年物质使用和其他风险行为的简短干预措施的可行性、可接受性和初步效果。这项单臂可行性测试招募了 30 名有物质使用问题的青少年及其主要照顾者。参与者接受了单独的干预措施（青少年 2 个疗程，照顾者 1 个疗程），并随机选择了一个亚组进行干预后访谈。可行性通过符合条件的青少年中被招募并纳入研究的比例来衡量。访谈探讨了可接受性，从基线到 1 个月随访的结果变化评估了干预的初步效果。43 名符合条件的青少年及其照顾者中有 30 名（69.8%）被招募，29 名青少年（96.7%）和 28 名照顾者（93.3%）完成了干预。28 名青少年（93.3%）和 29 名照顾者（96.7%）在随访时仍保留。酒精、大麻使用和犯罪行为的频率从基线到随访显著下降。参与者对干预内容和交付感到满意，并认为它促进了行为改变。还提出了改进干预措施的建议。本研究发现，该干预措施是可行的、可接受的，对青少年行为有积极影响。必须通过随机对照试验来确定其疗效。
