Highlights
Treatnet Family (TF) had a positive significant impact in reducing alcohol use.
After participating in the TF, the adolescents were engaged with significantly fewer friends who consumed substances and participated in antisocial behaviours.
The two most reported life events (i.e., “got in a lot of arguments or fights” and “had problems with drugs or alcohol”) before the intervention were significantly decreased at the follow-up assessment.
Based on parent’s/family member’s reports, there was a significant decrease in mental health problems across time.
Highlights
It is acceptable and feasible to deliver a family-based intervention training (Treatnet Family) via a digital platform.
Practitioners who participated in the Treatnet Family training showed an increase in knowledge about family-based intervention.
Most practitioners reported that they have confidence in conducting Treatnet Family and in applying the core skills of a family-based intervention.
Background
Adolescent substance use is a leading risk factor of medical and social problems in adults. However, evidence-based interventions for substance use disorders (SUD) among youth in resource-limited countries are lacking. Treatnet Family (TF), developed by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), aims to make youth SUD care more affordable and accessible in low- and middle-income countries. This study explores the suitability of TF in Vietnam.
Method
Twenty interviews were conducted with eight adolescents and their family members who participated in TF, and four practitioners who delivered TF. Questions centred on their experiences with the intervention and suggestions for improvement. Thematic analysis was used to evaluate the data.
Results
All adolescents were male with an average age of 19.3. Seven of them had left school. Most caregivers were female. Both family members and adolescents expressed a great demand for support, and both groups appreciated the immediate improvement in parent–child communication. However, the impact of TF could be compromised due challenges in recruiting families, possibly arising from the novelty of a family-based intervention in Vietnam and drug-related stigma. The perception of drug use as an acute condition instead of a chronic disorder, and the lack of a continuing care system, also made it difficult to retain participants.
Conclusion
Vietnamese adolescents with SUD and their family members were in great need of support and access to evidence-based interventions. Building a comprehensive, health-centred substance use disorder treatment and care system would enhance treatment impact.
Interventions to treat substance use disorders (SUDs) and other mental health disorders (MHDs) in prison settings vary in both availability and effectiveness across contexts. Furthermore, incomplete characterization of intervention efficacy and/or effectiveness impacts the ability to know whether an intervention with demonstrated effectiveness in one setting will be effective in another setting. We systematically reviewed the literature for studies of interventions for SUDs and other MHDs conducted in prison settings, and synthesized the identified interventions and identified evidence gaps. Search strategies yielded 9,599 articles published between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2020. A total of 82 articles were identified as eligible with interventions presented for SUDs ( n = 52), for MHDs ( n = 23), and for SUDs/MHDs ( n = 7). Findings point to a narrow range of interventions of demonstrated effectiveness and to important gaps in the evidence-base for which high-quality research, particularly in low- and middle-income settings, is needed.
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