Underutilization of evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP) by adolescent substance abusers (ASA) represents a significant problem for our field and for our nation's public health. Prior treatment dissemination research has made inroads toward increasing the supply of EBP offered in the community, but efforts have not considered whether parents of ASA will demand the services provided. The overall goal of this proposal is to support the candidate, Sara Becker, Ph.D., in developing an independent clinical research program focused on applying strategies from the field of services marketing to increase demand for EBP. This long-term goal will be achieved through conduct of a mentored research study as well as didactic coursework, seminars, workshops, hands-on training, and manuscript writing. Career development activities have been crafted to support four training goals: (1) developing expertise in services marketing theory and methods relevant to increasing client demand;(2) gaining expert knowledge of leading treatment dissemination models and strategies;(3) acquiring specialized training in qualitative analysis;and (4) building proficiency in survey methodology. Training will be accomplished with the unconditional institutional support of the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University. An interdisciplinary team of mentors will be co-led by Dr. Anthony Spirito of Brown University, an expert in the delivery, evaluation, and dissemination of EBP for ASA, and Dr. Valarie Zeithaml of the University of North Carolina, an international pioneer in the field of services marketing. The proposed research plan contains three phases. First, qualitative research with ASA and their parents will be conducted to adapt a well-established conceptual model and quantitative measure of service quality for the evaluation of substance use services. Second, a web-based survey of parents of ASA will establish the psychometric properties of the refined measure and elucidate the service preferences of this population. The survey uses a multi-method, single-mode sampling strategy that integrates common approaches from both marketing and treatment research. Finally, a randomized, web-based trial will compare the effectiveness of targeted marketing messages versus standard clinical information in persuading parents of ASA to seek EBP. Targeted marketing messages will be developed using the feedback collected from parents in the first two phases, whereas standard clinical information will consist of descriptions of EBP from leading scientific organizations in the field. The effectiveness of the marketing messages will be evaluated using the measure of service quality that was adapted in the first two phases, as well as two measures of behavioral intentions. Taken together, this work will establish the relevance of services marketing theory and methodology to the dissemination of EBP for ASA. Results of the proposed research program have the potential to advance dissemination science by increasing the demand for EBP, which in turn, can increase service utilization and improve the health outcomes of ASA.

Public Health Relevance

Prior efforts to disseminate evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP) for adolescent substance abuse have focused on increasing the supply of EBP in community settings, without considering whether parents will demand the services provided. The current proposal evaluates whether strategies from services marketing, an area of marketing focused on the delivery and evaluation of professional services, can increase parents'demand for EBP. Ultimately, the approach used in this proposal has the potential to advance dissemination science by increasing the utilization of EBP and improving the quality of treatment received by adolescent substance abusers.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)
Project #
1K23DA031743-01A1
Application #
8299830
Study Section
Human Development Research Subcommittee (NIDA)
Program Officer
Ducharme, Lori
Project Start
2012-07-15
Project End
2017-06-30
Budget Start
2012-07-15
Budget End
2013-06-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$172,514
Indirect Cost
$12,779
Name
Rhode Island Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
075710996
City
Providence
State
RI
Country
United States
Zip Code
02903
Becker, Sara J; Kelly, Lourah M; Kang, Augustine W et al. (2018) Factors associated with contingency management adoption among opioid treatment providers receiving a comprehensive implementation strategy. Subst Abus :1-5
Becker, Sara J; Helseth, Sarah A; Frank, Hannah E et al. (2018) Parent Preferences and Experiences with Psychological Treatment: Results from a Direct-to- Consumer Survey using the Marketing Mix Framework. Prof Psychol Res Pr 49:167-176
Becker, Sara J; Hernandez, Lynn; Spirito, Anthony et al. (2017) Technology-assisted intervention for parents of adolescents in residential substance use treatment: protocol of an open trial and pilot randomized trial. Addict Sci Clin Pract 12:1
Becker, Sara J; Midoun, Miriam M (2016) Effects of Direct-To-Consumer Advertising on Patient Prescription Requests and Physician Prescribing: A Systematic Review of Psychiatry-Relevant Studies. J Clin Psychiatry 77:e1293-e1300
Becker, Sara J; Midoun, Miriam M; Zeithaml, Valarie A et al. (2016) Dimensions of Treatment Quality Most Valued by Adolescent Substance Users and their Caregivers. Prof Psychol Res Pr 47:120-129
Becker, Sara J; Jones, Richard N; Hernandez, Lynn et al. (2016) Moderators of Brief Motivation-Enhancing Treatments for Alcohol-Positive Adolescents Presenting to the Emergency Department. J Subst Abuse Treat 69:28-34
Becker, Sara J; Squires, Daniel D; Strong, David R et al. (2016) Training opioid addiction treatment providers to adopt contingency management: A prospective pilot trial of a comprehensive implementation science approach. Subst Abus 37:134-40
Ozechowski, Timothy J; Becker, Sara J; Hogue, Aaron (2016) SBIRT-A: Adapting SBIRT to Maximize Developmental Fit for Adolescents in Primary Care. J Subst Abuse Treat 62:28-37
Becker, Sara J; Spirito, Anthony; Vanmali, Roshani (2016) Perceptions of 'Evidence-Based Practice' among the Consumers of Adolescent Substance Use Treatment. Health Educ J 75:358-369
Gomez, Judelysse; Becker, Sara; O'Brien, Kimberly et al. (2015) Interactive Effect of Child Maltreatment and Substance Use on Depressed Mood Among Adolescents Presenting to Community-Based Substance Use Treatment. Community Ment Health J 51:833-40

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