Coping responses and relapse among adolescent substance abusers.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Addiction Medicine
• Adolescent Psychiatry

Background:

• Relapse is a significant challenge in adolescent substance abuse treatment.
• Understanding coping mechanisms and self-efficacy is vital for preventing relapse.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate self-generated coping strategies and self-efficacy ratings in adolescents at high risk for relapse.
• To compare coping and self-efficacy between abstainers and relapsers in high-risk situations.

Main Methods:

• Fifty adolescents undergoing treatment for drug and alcohol abuse participated.
• Coping responses and self-efficacy were assessed for both successful abstinence and general high-risk relapse situations.

Main Results:

• Relapsers generated fewer coping strategies and reported lower self-efficacy in general high-risk situations compared to abstainers.
• Adolescents with poorer outcomes used fewer problem-solving coping strategies and had lower general self-efficacy.
• No significant differences in coping responses were found for situations where teens successfully abstained.

Conclusions:

• Fewer coping strategies and lower self-efficacy are associated with relapse in adolescents with substance use disorders.
• Cognitive behavioral interventions targeting problem-solving skills and self-efficacy may improve relapse prevention in teens.
• Findings align with cognitive behavioral theories of relapse and inform relapse prevention strategies for adolescent substance abuse.