Substance Use Interventions for Truant Adolescents



Status:Recruiting
Conditions:Psychiatric, Psychiatric, Psychiatric
Therapuetic Areas:Psychiatry / Psychology
Healthy:No
Age Range:12 - 18
Updated:2/2/2019
Start Date:January 1, 2019
End Date:October 30, 2022
Contact:Anthony Spirito, Ph.D.
Email:anthony_spirito@brown.edu
Phone:(401) 444-1924

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Brief Individual and Parent Interventions for Substance Use in Truant Adolescents

This study evaluates a brief motivation-building intervention for parents and teens to reduce
truancy and substance use. It is hypothesized that the motivational intervention will result
in better outcomes compared to an education-only intervention.

Adolescents who use marijuana and are truant from school are a high-risk population with
increased likelihood of substance use disorders, criminal justice involvement, and long-term
impairments in vocational, family, and peer domains.

This study will test a theory-driven intervention for early adolescent marijuana using,
truant youth identified through Rhode Island Truancy and Family Courts. Adolescents will be
randomly assigned to one of the 2 conditions: a motivational interview versus
psychoeducation.

Inclusion Criteria:

- the target child is in 6th-10th grade at the start of the project and living at home
with at least one parent/guardian,

- the teen must report 6 or more incidences of marijuana use in the last 90 days (an
approximation of biweekly use)

- by law, the teen must have at least 20 unexcused absences in an academic year to be in
truancy court, and (4) parental consent and teen assent are obtained.

Exclusion Criteria:

- the family is not able to speak and understand English or Spanish well enough to
complete study procedures

- developmental delay, as determined by school placements outside the regular classroom,
that would affect comprehension of the intervention.
We found this trial at
2
sites
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Phone: 401-793-8269
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Providence, Rhode Island 02912
Principal Investigator: Anthony Spirito, PhD
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