Scales for participant Alliance with Recovery Coach (SPARC): initial development and pilot test.

Recovery coaches are individuals with lived experience with recovery from substance use disorder who typically engender a greater sense of trust than found with other types of healthcare providers. However, there currently are no validated tools that measure the connection between recovery coaches and their participants. The purpose of this study was to describe the initial development of the Scales for Participant Alliance with Recovery Coach (SPARC) to measure recovery coach connection or alliance, including initial psychometric analyses. Measurement development began with five scales of the Client Evaluation of Self Treatment (treatment participation, treatment satisfaction, rapport, peer support, and social support). Adapted items were pre-tested with focus groups (n = 8) to ensure they were meaningful and accurately reflected the domains (Study 1). After modifications, the SPARC has six scales (engagement, satisfaction, rapport, motivation and encouragement, role model and community linkage). The survey was piloted with 100 individuals (Study 2) age 18 or over who had met with a recovery coach within the last six months. Most study participants were male (60%) and white (87%) with less than two years in recovery. After removing two low performing items, the items for five of the domains had acceptable internal consistency. The items for the engagement domain had a slightly lower reliability. Findings suggest that items cover relevant recovery coach roles, are internally consistent within domains, and can be easily administered to individuals engaging in recovery coaching services. Additional research is needed with a larger, more heterogenous sample to further refine items.

Avoidance Self-Efficacy: Personal Indicators of Risky Sex and Substance Use among At-Risk Youth.

Adolescent substance use (SU) is associated with risky sex behavior and sexually transmitted infections and is a risk factor for subsequent risky sex decisions. Based on a sample of 1,580 youth in residential SU treatment, this study investigated how a static factor (race) and two dynamic personal factors (risk-taking, assertiveness) contributed to adolescents' perceived ability to avoid high-risk SU and sex behavior (avoidance self-efficacy). Results showed that race correlated with risk-taking and assertiveness, with White youth reporting higher ratings of assertiveness and risk-taking. Self-reported assertiveness and risk-taking also predicted SU and risky sex avoidance. This study underscores the importance of race and personal factors in relation to adolescents' confidence in avoiding high-risk situations.

The comparative effectiveness of Core versus Core+Enhanced implementation strategies in a randomized controlled trial to improve substance use treatment receipt among justice-involved youth.

BACKGROUND: Most justice-involved youth are supervised in community settings, where assessment and linkage to substance use (SU) treatment services are inconsistent and fragmented. Only 1/3 of youth with an identified SU need receive a treatment referral and even fewer initiate services. Thus, improving identification and linkage to treatment requires coordination across juvenile justice (JJ) and behavioral health (BH) agencies. The current study examines the comparative effectiveness of two bundled implementation intervention strategies for improving SU treatment initiation, engagement, and continuing care among justice-involved youth supervised in community settings. Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) served as the conceptual framework for study design and selection/timing of implementation intervention components, and the BH Services Cascade served as the conceptual and measurement framework for identifying and addressing gaps in service receipt. METHODS: Part of a larger Juvenile-Justice Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System (JJ-TRIALS) Cooperative, this study involved a multisite, cluster-randomized control trial where sites were paired then randomly assigned to receive Core (training teams on the BH Services Cascade and data-driven decision making; supporting goal selection) or Core+Enhanced (external facilitation of implementation teams) intervention components. Youth service records were collected from 20 JJ community supervision agencies (in five states) across five study phases (baseline, pre-randomization, early experiment, late experiment, maintenance). Implementation teams comprised of JJ and BH staff collaboratively identified goals along the BH Cascade and used data-driven decision-making to implement change. RESULTS: Results suggest that Core intervention components were effective at increasing service receipt over time relative to baseline, but differences between Core and Core+Enhanced conditions were non-significant. Time to service initiation was shorter among Core+Enhanced sites, and deeper Cascade penetration occurred when external facilitation (of implementation teams) was provided. Wide variation existed in the degree and nature of change across service systems. CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate the criticality of early EPIS phases, demonstrating that strategies provided during the formative exploration and preparation phases produced some improvement in service receipt, whereas implementation-focused activities produced incremental improvement in moving youth farther along the Cascade.

Opioid Use Disorder Stigma, Discrimination, and Policy Attitudes in a National Sample of U.S. Young Adults.

PURPOSE: A small fraction of people with opioid use disorder (OUD) receives appropriate care. Public opinion about addiction contributes to the availability and accessibility of effective treatment services. Little is known about such attitudes toward OUD among young adults, a population at heightened risk for OUD onset. The current study examined endorsement of social stigma, discrimination, and policy attitudes about OUD and hypothesized correlates of such attitudes (familiarity with OUD, criminal justice involvement, respondent demographic characteristics). METHODS: A national sample of 190 young adults (weighted n = 408; 69% female, 42% White, non-Hispanic) aged 19-29 years completed web and telephone surveys covering opioid social stigma, discrimination, policy attitudes, personal experience with opioids, and criminal justice, and participant characteristics (age, sex, race, education, employment, income). Linear regressions were performed to examine associations between respondent characteristics and attitudes. RESULTS: Young adults, on average, endorsed moderate levels of stigma and discrimination toward people with OUD and support for treatment-oriented policies. Stigma was positively associated with discrimination and negatively associated with support for policies favorable to people with OUD. Regression results revealed that more negative attitudes toward OUD were endorsed as a function of older age and less personal experience or familiarity with OUD. CONCLUSIONS: Heterogeneity in young adults' attitudes about OUD may be explained, in part, by personal characteristics and familiarity with OUD. Adolescence may be an opportune developmental period to prevent or reduce public stigma related to OUD and MOUD and increase public attitudes in support of expanded access to effective OUD treatments.

Justice community opioid innovation network (JCOIN): The TCU research hub.

Recognizing the current opioid crisis among justice-involved individuals and the need to intervene at the intersection of justice and community health, the JCOIN TCU hub study explores outcomes associated with a multi-level hybrid implementation approach. The study capitalizes on facilitated collaboration, training, and cross-system data sharing to leverage improvements in criminal justice (CJ) and community behavioral health (CBH) interagency collaboration. The goal is to improve local community public health and safety outcomes for reentering justice-involved individuals who have a history of (or are at risk for) using opioids. The study compares two implementation strategies: one (vertical) in which all units in a community are trained and begin the program simultaneously and another (horizontal) in which one lead-off unit in the community is trained as a prototype of the program, the prototype is tested and refined, and then the lead-off unit helps to train other units within the community. Specific aims are to 1) increase access to and retention in CBH and medications for opioid use disorder services; 2) improve outcomes associated with public health and safety; 3) compare two implementation strategies on systems-level outcomes designed to increase service initiation and receipt of implementation and services; and 4) examine the impact of these strategies on justice-involved individuals' outcomes. The study examines both implementation and implementation-effectiveness, seeking to answer the questions of which implementation strategy is most effective for rapid and sustainable uptake of evidence-based practices and for increasing service linkage and initiation, services retention, and improved opioid-related public health safety outcomes. The study uses a hybrid type 3 study design. The study's primary aim is to compare two implementation strategies and two interventions at two levels (client and system), with a secondary aim to assess client-level outcomes associated with the trial. The study design integrates 2 robust methodologies (stepped wedge and cluster randomized trial), and plans to include 18 research performance sites (communities) located in Texas, New Mexico, and Illinois. The study will contribute to the JCOIN network's effort to establish a national consortium of investigators examining promising strategies to enhance the capabilities and capacity of the justice system to more effectively address the opioid epidemic.

Bridging Systems to Implement HIV/STI Programming Within the Juvenile Justice System: Strengths and Challenges of a Local Change Team Approach.

Justice-involved youth are at risk for HIV/STIs but do not access services. The complex challenges of improving the delivery of health-related services within juvenile justice (JJ) settings warrant exploration of strategies to close this service gap. This study describes the successes and challenges of utilizing a local change team (LCT) strategy comprising JJ and health agency staff to implement HIV/STI programming in JJ settings, across six counties in six states in the U.S. Five focus groups comprising n = 28 JJ and health agency staff who served as LCT members were conducted. Results demonstrated the structured nature of the collaborative process and strength of commitment among LCT members were necessary for successful implementation of HIV/STI programming. The use of LCTs comprising membership of JJ and (behavioral) health systems has broader applicability to other health and behavioral health issues faced by youth on probation that JJ staff may feel ill equipped to address.

A System-Level Intervention to Encourage Collaboration Between Juvenile Justice and Public Health Agencies to Promote HIV/STI Testing.

Justice-involved youth are at high risk for HIV and STIs, and justice agencies are uniquely poised to offer HIV/STI testing. However, testing in these settings is not routine and represents a missed opportunity. This study describes a system-level implementation intervention designed to increase access to HIV/STI testing through juvenile justice (JJ) and public health agency collaboration across six counties in six states in the United States. Local change teams, active facilitation, and training were utilized to facilitate agency partnerships and development of HIV/STI practice change protocols. Five counties established health and JJ partnerships and four counties successfully implemented their protocols. Sites with HIV/STI education and testing protocols behaviorally screened 98.5% of youth and tested 41.2% of those youth; 0% were HIV+ and 43.2% had an STI. The intervention provides a feasible, scalable solution, through promoting partnerships between JJ and health agencies, to link youth to testing and treatment services.

Improving Substance Use Services for Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth: Complexity of Process Improvement Plans in a Large Scale Multi-site Study.

Despite the high prevalence of substance use disorders among juvenile offenders, most do not receive services. System-level process improvement plans to address unmet service needs can be optimized by combining data-driven decisions and facilitated meetings with behavioral health stakeholders. This paper operationalizes and analyzes the level of specified complexity among process improvement plans evident within 36 juvenile probation and drug courts across 7 states. To inform more effective implementation strategies, this analysis identifies and prioritizes promising courses of agency enhancement toward addressing unmet substance use needs.

Organizational Context and Individual Adaptability in Promoting Perceived Importance and Use of Best Practices for Substance Use.

This study examines associations among organizational context, staff attributes, perceived importance, and use of best practices among staff in community-based, juvenile justice (JJ) agencies. As part of the National Institute on Drug Abuse's Juvenile Justice-Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System (JJ-TRIALS) study, 492 staff from 36 JJ agencies were surveyed about the perceived importance and use of best practices within their organization in five substance use practice domains: screening, assessment, standard referral, active referral, and treatment support. Structural equation models indicated that supervisory encouragement and organizational innovation/flexibility were associated with greater individual adaptability. Adaptability (willingness to try new ideas, use new procedures, adjust quickly to change), was positively correlated with importance ratings. Importance ratings were positively associated with reported use of best practices. Organizational climates that support innovation likely affect use of practices through staff attributes and perceptions of the importance of such services.

Using Goal Achievement Training in juvenile justice settings to improve substance use services for youth on community supervision.

BACKGROUND: The link between substance use and involvement in the juvenile justice system has been well established. Justice-involved youth tend to have higher rates of drug use than their non-offending peers. At the same time, continued use can contribute to an elevated risk of recidivism, which leads to further, and oftentimes more serious, involvement with the juvenile justice system. Because of these high rates of use, the juvenile justice system is well positioned to help identify youth with substance use problems and connect them to treatment. However, research has found that only about 60% of juvenile probation agencies screen all youth for substance involvement, and even fewer provide comprehensive assessment or help youth enroll in substance use treatment. METHOD: This paper describes an integrated training curriculum that was developed to help juvenile justice agencies improve their continuum of care for youth probationers with substance use problems. Goal Achievement Training (GAT) provides a platform for continuous quality improvement via two sessions delivered onsite to small groups of staff from juvenile justice and behavioral health agencies. In the first session, participants are taught to identify goals and goal steps for addressing identified areas of unmet need (i.e., screening, assessment, and linkage to treatment services). In the second session, participants learn principles and strategies of data-driven decision-making for achieving these goals. This paper highlights GAT as a model for the effective implementation of cost-efficient training strategies designed to increase self-directed quality improvement activities that can be applied to any performance domain within juvenile justice settings. Efforts to monitor implementation fidelity of GAT within the specific context of the juvenile justice settings are highlighted. DISCUSSION: Challenges to setting the stage for process improvement generally, as well as specific hurdles within juvenile justice settings are discussed, as are next steps in disseminating findings regarding the fidelity to and effectiveness of GAT in this unique context. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials Registration number - NCT02672150 .

A model for rigorously applying the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework in the design and measurement of a large scale collaborative multi-site study.

BACKGROUND: This paper describes the means by which a United States National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded cooperative, Juvenile Justice-Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System (JJ-TRIALS), utilized an established implementation science framework in conducting a multi-site, multi-research center implementation intervention initiative. The initiative aimed to bolster the ability of juvenile justice agencies to address unmet client needs related to substance use while enhancing inter-organizational relationships between juvenile justice and local behavioral health partners. METHODS: The EPIS (Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment) framework was selected and utilized as the guiding model from inception through project completion; including the mapping of implementation strategies to EPIS stages, articulation of research questions, and selection, content, and timing of measurement protocols. Among other key developments, the project led to a reconceptualization of its governing implementation science framework into cyclical form as the EPIS Wheel. The EPIS Wheel is more consistent with rapid-cycle testing principles and permits researchers to track both progressive and recursive movement through EPIS. Moreover, because this randomized controlled trial was predicated on a bundled strategy method, JJ-TRIALS was designed to rigorously test progress through the EPIS stages as promoted by facilitation of data-driven decision making principles. The project extended EPIS by (1) elucidating the role and nature of recursive activity in promoting change (yielding the circular EPIS Wheel), (2) by expanding the applicability of the EPIS framework beyond a single evidence-based practice (EBP) to address varying process improvement efforts (representing varying EBPs), and (3) by disentangling outcome measures of progression through EPIS stages from the a priori established study timeline. DISCUSSION: The utilization of EPIS in JJ-TRIALS provides a model for practical and applied use of implementation frameworks in real-world settings that span outer service system and inner organizational contexts in improving care for vulnerable populations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02672150 . Retrospectively registered on 22 January 2016.

A structural model of treatment program and individual counselor leadership in innovation transfer.

BACKGROUND: A number of program-level and counselor-level factors are known to impact the adoption of treatment innovations. While program leadership is considered a primary factor, the importance of leadership among clinical staff to innovation transfer is less known. Objectives included explore (1) the influence of two leadership roles, program director and individual counselor, on recent training activity and (2) the relationship of counselor attributes on training endorsement. METHODS: The sample included 301 clinical staff in 49 treatment programs. A structural equation model was evaluated for key hypothesized relationships between exogenous and endogenous variables related to the two leadership roles. RESULTS: The importance of organizational leadership, climate, and counselor attributes (particularly counseling innovation interest and influence) to recent training activity was supported. In a subset of 68 counselors who attended a developer-led training on a new intervention, it was found that training endorsement was higher among those with high innovation interest and influence. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that each leadership level impacts the organization in different ways, yet both can promote or impede technology transfer.

Juvenile Justice-Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System (JJ-TRIALS): a cluster randomized trial targeting system-wide improvement in substance use services.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this paper is to describe the Juvenile Justice-Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System (JJ-TRIALS) study, a cooperative implementation science initiative involving the National Institute on Drug Abuse, six research centers, a coordinating center, and Juvenile Justice Partners representing seven US states. While the pooling of resources across centers enables a robust implementation study design involving 36 juvenile justice agencies and their behavioral health partner agencies, co-producing a study protocol that has potential to advance implementation science, meets the needs of all constituencies (funding agency, researchers, partners, study sites), and can be implemented with fidelity across the cooperative can be challenging. This paper describes (a) the study background and rationale, including the juvenile justice context and best practices for substance use disorders, (b) the selection and use of an implementation science framework to guide study design and inform selection of implementation components, and (c) the specific study design elements, including research questions, implementation interventions, measurement, and analytic plan. METHODS/DESIGN: The JJ-TRIALS primary study uses a head-to-head cluster randomized trial with a phased rollout to evaluate the differential effectiveness of two conditions (Core and Enhanced) in 36 sites located in seven states. A Core strategy for promoting change is compared to an Enhanced strategy that incorporates all core strategies plus active facilitation. Target outcomes include improvements in evidence-based screening, assessment, and linkage to substance use treatment. DISCUSSION: Contributions to implementation science are discussed as well as challenges associated with designing and deploying a complex, collaborative project. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02672150 .

The Effectiveness of the Treatment Readiness and Induction Program (TRIP) for Improving During-Treatment Outcomes.

Treatment engagement is a primary pathway to change. Because motivation consistently predicts engagement and sustained recovery following treatment, targeted efforts at improving problem recognition (i.e., a significant ingredient in motivation) during early weeks of treatment are critical. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of Standard Operating Practice (SOP) versus SOP plus an 8-session Treatment Readiness and Induction Program (TRIP; delivered in the first weeks of treatment) on cognitive indicators and treatment engagement among youth in 5 residential substance use treatment settings. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) documented higher problem recognition, decision making, and treatment engagement (participation, satisfaction, counselor rapport) among youth receiving TRIP (compared to SOP only), even when controlling for background characteristics such as age, race-ethnicity, gender, baseline drug use severity, etc. Findings suggest that TRIP is an effective induction tool that directly impacts targeted constructs (i.e., problem recognition, decision making), and also directly affects indicators of engagement.

Predictors of Physical Altercation among Adolescents in Residential Substance Abuse Treatment.

This study tested the hypothesis that basic social information-processing components represented by family conflict, peer aggression, and pro-aggression cognitive scripts are related to aggression and social problems among adolescents in substance abuse treatment. The sample consisted of 547 adolescents in two community-based residential facilities. Correlation results indicated that more peer aggression is related to more pro-aggression scripts; scripts, peer aggression, and family conflict are associated with social problems; and in-treatment physical altercation involvement is predicted by higher peer aggression. Findings suggest that social information-processing components are valuable for treatment research.

To Stay or Not To Stay: Adolescent Client, Parent, and Counselor Perspectives on Leaving Substance Abuse Treatment Early.

Increasing motivation and raising retention rates are considerable challenges for providers of adolescent substance abuse treatment. Research has shown that motivation for treatment, social influences (peers, family, counselors), and for some clients external pressure from the juvenile justice system, can serve as key factors in successful retention. To further understand influences on motivation and retention, focus groups were conducted in two residential treatment facilities. Adolescent clients, parents, and treatment staff were asked to describe their experiences with the treatment process focusing specifically on factors related to treatment attrition and retention. Qualitative data analysis revealed five themes affecting retention either positively or negatively. Themes included relationships (with family, peers, and counselors), responsibility (degree to which clients embrace jobs, roles, and rules), emotional regulation (ability to express feelings appropriately), thinking (identifying behavior patterns and recognizing consequences), and self-efficacy (feelings of empowerment). Implications for future research and for developing strategies aimed at increasing motivation and retention are discussed.

Effectiveness of the Treatment Readiness and Induction Program for increasing adolescent motivation for change.

Success in substance abuse treatment is improved by problem recognition, desire to seek help, and readiness to engage in treatment, all of which are important aspects of motivation. Interventions that facilitate these at treatment induction for adolescents are especially needed. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of TRIP (Treatment Readiness and Induction Program) in promoting treatment motivation. Data represent 519 adolescents from 6 residential programs who completed assessments at treatment intake (time 1) and 35 days after admission (time 2). The design consisted of a comparison sample (n=281) that had enrolled in treatment prior to implementation of TRIP (standard operating practice) and a sample of clients that had entered treatment after TRIP began and received standard operating practice enhanced by TRIP (n=238). Repeated measures ANCOVAs were conducted using each time 2 motivation scale as a dependent measure. Motivation scales were conceptualized as representing sequential stages of change. LISREL was used to test a structural model involving TRIP participation, gender, drug use severity, juvenile justice involvement, age, race-ethnicity, prior treatment, and urgency as predictors of the stages of treatment motivation. Compared to standard practice, adolescents receiving TRIP demonstrated greater gains in problem recognition, even after controlling for the other variables in the model. The model fit was adequate, with TRIP directly affecting problem recognition and indirectly affecting later stages of change (desire for help and treatment readiness). Future studies should examine which specific components of TRIP affect change in motivation.

Effectiveness of a theoretically-based judgment and decision making intervention for adolescents.

Although adolescents demonstrate capacity for rational decision making, their tendency to be impulsive, place emphasis on peers, and ignore potential consequences of their actions often translates into higher risk-taking including drug use, illegal activity, and physical harm. Problems with judgment and decision making contribute to risky behavior and are core issues for youth in treatment. Based on theoretical and empirical advances in cognitive science, the Treatment Readiness and Induction Program (TRIP) represents a curriculum-based decision making intervention that can be easily inserted into a variety of content-oriented modalities as well as administered as a separate therapeutic course. The current study examined the effectiveness of TRIP for promoting better judgment among 519 adolescents (37 % female; primarily Hispanic and Caucasian) in residential substance abuse treatment. Change over time in decision making and premeditation (i.e., thinking before acting) was compared among youth receiving standard operating practice (n = 281) versus those receiving standard practice plus TRIP (n = 238). Change in TRIP-specific content knowledge was examined among clients receiving TRIP. Premeditation improved among youth in both groups; TRIP clients showed greater improvement in decision making. TRIP clients also reported significant increases over time in self-awareness, positive-focused thinking (e.g., positive self-talk, goal setting), and recognition of the negative effects of drug use. While both genders showed significant improvement, males showed greater gains in metacognitive strategies (i.e., awareness of one's own cognitive process) and recognition of the negative effects of drug use. These results suggest that efforts to teach core thinking strategies and apply/practice them through independent intervention modules may benefit adolescents when used in conjunction with content-based programs designed to change problematic behaviors.

Screening and assessment tools for measuring adolescent client needs and functioning in substance abuse treatment.

The purpose of this study is to establish the psychometric properties of a noncommercial, publicly available, modular screening and assessment system for adolescents in substance abuse treatment. Data were collected in 2011-2012 from 1,189 adolescents admitted to eight residential treatment programs in urban and rural locations in the United States. Results from three sets of analyses documented the instruments to be reliable. Females reported more problems than males, and younger adolescents reported more problems than older youth. Implications and limitations are discussed, and suggestions for future research are provided.