Internet interventions for adult illicit substance users: a meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Addiction Medicine
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Internet interventions are recognized for treating substance dependence.
• Effectiveness for opioid, cocaine, and amphetamine users requires further investigation.
• Limited data exists on digital interventions for these specific substance use disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of internet interventions in reducing the use of opioids, cocaine, and amphetamines.
• To synthesize evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on digital substance use treatments.
• To assess the impact of online interventions on illicit substance consumption.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and Cochrane Library.
• Inclusion of RCTs comparing internet interventions with control groups.
• Assessment of risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool.
• Primary outcome: substance use reduction via toxicology or self-report.

Main Results:

• Seventeen studies with 2836 participants were analyzed.
• Significant reductions in opioid use (g=0.36) and any illicit substance use (g=0.35) were observed post-treatment.
• Internet interventions showed significant overall substance use reduction at post-treatment (g=0.31) and follow-up (g=0.22).
• Effects on stimulant users were non-significant (P=0.164).

Conclusions:

• Internet interventions yield small but significant reductions in substance use.
• These effects are evident at both post-treatment and follow-up assessments.
• Findings for specific substances like stimulants should be interpreted cautiously due to limited studies.