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Harm reduction-focused behavioral activation for people who inject drugs: Mixed methods outcomes from a pilot open
Catherine Paquette1, Alexander Vierling2, Louisa Kane2
1Duke University School of Medicine Department of Population Health Sciences, Durham, North Carolina, United States; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States.
Introduction:
People who inject drugs (PWID) experience high rates of mental health problems and drug-related harms. Harm reduction-focused interventions aim to reduce harms associated with drug use and are an important approach for engaging people who are not seeking traditional abstinence-focused treatment. Yet, few studies to date have examined the effectiveness of harm reduction psychosocial treatment for drug use. We evaluated the outcomes of a harm reduction-focused behavioral activation (BA) intervention from pretreatment to a 1-month follow-up.
Methods:
A total of N = 23 PWID (65.2 % White; 52.2 % women; mean age 35.4 ± 7.8 years) were recruited from syringe services programs and n = 19 received the intervention via teletherapy. Assessment of study outcome measures occurred at pre- and posttreatment and a one-month follow-up.
Results:
Results reflected post-intervention increases in behavioral activation and readiness to change drug use, as well as decreases in substance use, depression, and HIV risk behaviors. There were mixed outcomes on substance-related problems with increases at follow-up, possibly reflecting increased problem recognition.
Conclusions:
These results suggest initial promise for the harm reduction-focused treatment. Additional research with randomized designs and larger sample sizes is needed, and more intensive treatment may be required to support sustained treatment gains in this population.
