Drug Policy Modelling Program, Social Policy Research Centre, University of NSW, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Centre for Rural Criminology, Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia.
Rural Remote Health. 2024 Sep;24(3):8861. doi: 10.22605/RRH8861. Epub 2024 Sep 21.
Harms arising from alcohol and other drug (AOD) use are disproportionately felt by men living in rural locations. The detrimental impact of AOD use is compounded by a range of barriers to help-seeking. Online recovery support services (including mutual-help groups) are increasingly used to reach people who might not otherwise seek support for AOD use. Scant research examines the experiences of men attending online mutual-help groups, with the little available evidence focused on 12-step approaches and people living in urban areas. This short communication compared the characteristics and experiences of rural and urban men attending online Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART Recovery) mutual-help groups in Australia.
A link to a voluntary online questionnaire was automatically provided at the end of each online group as part of routine data collection. Questions assessed participants' demographics, main reason for attending, engagement, experiences and perceived utility of the group. This study is a secondary analysis examining data provided by male attendees located in rural (n=259) and urban (n=996) areas.
Alcohol use for both rural and urban attendees (73% v 66.8%) was the most frequently reported reason for attending SMART Recovery groups. Rural attendees were older than their urban counterparts (p<0.001) and were less likely to endorse 'other' drug use as a reason for attending (28.6% v 16.6%, p<0.001). Participants reported a high level of satisfaction with online SMART Recovery groups. No significant differences were found between the two groups. Rural and urban men reported that they felt welcome (93.1% v 95.1%) and supported (90% vs 92.5%), had the opportunity to contribute to discussions (91.5% v 92.1%), and felt the group was well facilitated (91.1% v 94.4%). Rural and urban attendees also experienced the groups as helpful (88.8% v 91.8%), took away practical strategies (86.5% v 85.2%) and planned to continue to attend the groups in the future (91.1% v 92.3%). Around a quarter of rural (20.8%) and urban (27.0%) attendees experienced technical difficulties during the meeting.
This study contributes new knowledge regarding similarities and differences in the experience of online SMART Recovery groups from the perspective of men living in rural and urban areas. Despite around a quarter of participants experiencing technical difficulties, their self-reported engagement, experience and perceived utility of the online group were highly rated. Online recovery support services provide a promising option for reaching men who experience issues with their AOD use, particularly in rural areas where access to face-to-face services is limited.
在农村地区生活的男性，他们所遭受的酒精和其他药物（AOD）使用造成的危害不成比例。寻求帮助的一系列障碍加剧了 AOD 使用的有害影响。在线康复支持服务（包括互助小组）越来越多地被用于接触那些可能不会寻求 AOD 使用支持的人。关于参加在线互助小组的男性的经验，研究甚少，而且现有的少量证据主要集中在 12 步方法和居住在城市地区的人群上。本简短交流比较了澳大利亚农村和城市地区参加在线自我管理和康复培训（SMART Recovery）互助小组的男性的特征和经验。
作为常规数据收集的一部分，在每次在线小组结束时，会自动提供一个自愿在线问卷的链接。问题评估了参与者的人口统计学特征、主要参加原因、参与度、经验以及对小组的感知效用。本研究是对男性与会者（农村地区 n=259，城市地区 n=996）提供的数据进行的二次分析。
农村和城市与会者报告的参加 SMART Recovery 小组的最常见原因都是饮酒（73%比 66.8%）。农村与会者比城市与会者年龄大（p<0.001），并且不太可能将“其他”药物使用作为参加的原因（28.6%比 16.6%，p<0.001）。参与者对在线 SMART Recovery 小组表示高度满意。两组之间没有发现显著差异。农村和城市男性表示他们感到受欢迎（93.1%比 95.1%）和支持（90%比 92.5%），有机会参与讨论（91.5%比 92.1%），并且认为小组得到了很好的促进（91.1%比 94.4%）。农村和城市与会者还认为小组很有帮助（88.8%比 91.8%），从中获得了实用策略（86.5%比 85.2%），并计划将来继续参加小组（91.1%比 92.3%）。大约四分之一的农村（20.8%）和城市（27.0%）与会者在会议期间遇到技术困难。
本研究从农村和城市地区男性的角度，提供了关于在线 SMART Recovery 小组体验的相似点和不同点的新知识。尽管约有四分之一的参与者遇到技术困难，但他们自我报告的参与度、经验和对在线小组的感知效用评价很高。在线康复支持服务为接触那些有 AOD 使用问题的男性提供了一个有前途的选择，特别是在那些获得面对面服务有限的农村地区。
