Evaluation of “Colorful Life”: A Multi-Addiction Expressive Arts Intervention Program for Adolescents of Addicted Parents and Parents with Addiction

Abstract

This study evaluated an expressive arts intervention program (BColorful Life^) for adolescents with addicted parents and parents with addiction in Hong Kong. Different evaluation strategies were employed. Objective outcome evaluation adopting a one group pretest-posttest design showed positive changes in adolescents' (N = 43) beliefs about addiction. Both adolescents' and parents' (N = 21) psychosocial competencies were enhanced postintervention. Subjective outcome evaluation from both adolescent (N = 47) and parent (N = 22) groups showed positive perceptions of the program content, implementers, and achievement of program objectives. Findings provided preliminary evidence to support and yielded practical implications for the adoption of the multi-addiction syndrome model, positive youth development, and expressive arts approaches in the development of interventions for high-risk adolescents and addictive parents.Keywords Multi-addiction prevention . Expressive arts . Intervention . Addicted parents . AdolescentsIn the new edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association 2013), a revised category BSubstance-Related and Addictive Disorders^was proposed. This new category combines two general types of addiction disorders, i.e., substance-related addiction (e.g., drug and alcohol) and behavioral Int

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“…Evaluation findings showed that after completion of the program, adolescents' beliefs about addiction significantly improved. At post-test, both adolescents and parents' psychosocial competencies were enhanced, and the participants expressed positive perceptions about the program content, implementers, and effectiveness of the program [55]. Notwithstanding these positive findings, no significant behavioral changes in the participants were identified.…”

“…The second program ("Colorful Life") is an intervention program based on multiaddiction syndrome model, positive youth development, and expressive arts approaches, designed for both addicted parents and their adolescent children [54]. The program was offered to 47 adolescents and 22 parents.…”