Preventing OUD in Justice-Involved Youth

The United States is experiencing an opioid epidemic. Sadly, opioid-related fatalities are on the rise, causing profound emotional, financial, and cultural impacts. One way to reduce these negative impacts is to prevent people from developing opioid use problems in the first place.

Research shows that youth and young adults in the juvenile justice system have higher rates of opioid use disorder than other young people in the general population. The POST Study seeks develop, implement and evaluate the effectiveness and cost of 2 opioid use prevention programs of varying intensities. The prevention programs are designed specifically for youth and young adults living in justice settings. It is implemented during the time they are transitioning out of incarceration and back into the community. The research team hopes their results will help justice settings implement their own effective opioid prevention programs in the future.

Non-prescription opioid use in adolescents and young adults is epidemic in our country and overdose-related fatalities are rising. Adolescents and young adults in justice settings have some of the highest rates of opioid use disorder (OUD), with national rates approaching 20%. The majority of these youth and young adults engage in problematic non-opioid substance use, which is a critical risk factor for OUD. Non-opioid substance use disorders (SUDs) and OUD, in turn, are two of the most important predictors of subsequent re-involvement in juvenile or criminal justice systems.

In this study, researchers at Seattle Children's Research Institute, the University of Washington, Michigan State University, and Washington State Juvenile Rehabilitation/Department of Children Youth and Families will collaboratively develop and test an evaluation of OUD prevention interventions of varying intensities based on the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach with Assertive Continuing Care (ACRA+ACC). Multiple studies have established effectiveness of ACRA+ACC in reducing SUD; however, none has evaluated it as an OUD prevention strategy. SUD is incredibly common and costly among youth and young adults involved in juvenile justice systems.

Thus, ACRA+ACC-based approaches are likely to be effective and cost-beneficial OUD prevention strategies for this group.

Investigators seek to determine the optimal intensity of an ACRA+ACC-based OUD prevention intervention for AYAJS with and without non-opioid SUD, as these groups are likely to have differing prevention needs. To do so, they will use a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) study design to construct high-quality adaptive interventions with ACRA+ACC-based OUD prevention strategies of different intensity levels among youth with and without SUD. Based on self-reported substance use at 1 month post-release, participants may be re-randomized into another study arm. This will both address treatment need and provide data for subsequent effectiveness and cost analyses.

In Phase I of this study, researchers collaboratively planned for a SMART experiment, i.e.: finalize infrastructure, recruitment, intervention, and data collection procedures; and create infrastructure for the possibility of future implementation of effective interventions. They conducted a pilot with 31 participants to assess feasibility of protocols and procedures, recruitment, engagement, and retention strategies in anticipation of a future larger trial. Phase I started in January 2021.

In Phase II of this study, currently ongoing, researchers are conducting a SMART trial with 215 AYAJS aged 15-25, with or without SUD but without moderate or severe OUD, to evaluate ACRA/ACC-based interventions of various intensity levels for youth. They will also conduct cost, cost-effectiveness, and benefit-cost analyses to understand the relationships between intervention costs and outcomes. Phase II started in August 2021.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 15-25
* Leaving a Washington State detention facility or group home in the next 5-7 months
* Able to speak/understand English sufficiently to participate meaningfully in the intervention and assessments

Exclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosed with a moderate or severe Opioid Use Disorder
* Has a learning or mental health issue severe enough that they are unable to participate meaningfully in the intervention and assessments (e.g. schizophrenia or severe developmental disability)