Feasibility and Acceptability of a Trauma-informed Intervention to Leverage Caregivers in Preventing Opioid Use Among Youth Involved in the Legal System

AbstractYouth in the legal system (YILS) report high rates of substance use (SU), complex family/social relationships, and chronic trauma. The current study tested the feasibility of a prevention intervention, Trust-based Relational Intervention ® (TBRI®), that leverages family systems by strengthening connection and providing emotional and instrumental guidance and support. TBRI includes theprimary TBRI Intervention, comprised of Caregiver Training, Youth Training, and joint youth-caregiver Nurture Groups, andTBRI Family Coaching. With a sample of eight youth-caregiver dyads, the study adopted a mixed-methods design with a multi-informant approach to fulfill two goals: (1) testing TBRI as a prevention intervention for opioid use (OU), other SU, and related issues, and (2) testing the feasibility and acceptability of the TBRI Intervention by virtual delivery. Session attendance and completion rates demonstrated feasibility of recruiting and retaining participants and intervention fidelity. Preliminary results were reported on intervention outcomes, including OU and other SU, illegal activities, and educational attainment. Pre- and post-intervention comparisons showed decreases in youth negative urgency, conduct problems, and hyperactivity. Caregiver and staff participants responded favorably to TBRI and its virtual delivery; youth were more capable of expressing their needs and acknowledged the importance of families in preventing problems after discharge from secure facili...
Source: Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma - Category: Child Development Source Type: research