Hybrid Virtual Group Model for Substance Use Disorder Therapy: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Addiction Medicine
• Telehealth
• Group Therapy

Background:

• Traditional in-person substance use disorder (SUD) group therapy faces barriers to attendance.
• Virtual group therapy presents challenges to therapeutic alliance and group cohesion.
• Hybrid models integrating in-person and virtual participants offer a potential solution.

Purpose of the Study:

• Define hybrid SUD group therapy models.
• Summarize outcomes of integrated in-person and virtual SUD group therapy.
• Propose standardized terminology and recommendations for hybrid SUD treatment.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature search conducted on 11/13/2024, updated 12/16/2024.
• Included studies published from 2000 onwards focusing on SUD group therapy with mixed in-person/virtual participants.
• Data extracted from 4 articles meeting inclusion criteria after screening 1353 articles.

Main Results:

• Two hybrid SUD group models identified: virtual facilitator with in-person participants, or in-person facilitator with mixed virtual/in-person participants.
• Evaluated outcomes included treatment completion, therapeutic alliance, group cohesion, and understanding of addiction.
• Four studies met inclusion criteria, with two distinct hybrid model designs.

Conclusions:

• Proposed consensus definition for hybrid virtual group models in SUD treatment.
• Preliminary findings indicate hybrid SUD groups may have comparable outcomes to in-person and superior outcomes to virtual-only groups.
• Emphasized the need for careful implementation of hybrid SUD models for effectiveness.