Digital Intervention Components for Preventing and Reducing Substance Use in Adolescents and Emerging Adults: A...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Digital Health
• Adolescent and Emerging Adult Health

Background:

• Substance use is a significant public health issue in adolescents and emerging adults.
• Digital interventions offer unique opportunities for prevention in these age groups.
• A comprehensive overview of digital substance use prevention interventions is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify digital components, theoretical approaches, and their combinations in substance use interventions for adolescents and emerging adults.
• To assess how the evidence base for the effectiveness of these interventions and their components was evaluated.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted in four databases (MEDLINE, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science) in May 2023.
• Inclusion criteria focused on adolescents and emerging adults (12-21 years) and digital components for substance use prevention.
• Data were extracted and narratively summarized from 176 included studies.

Main Results:

• Interventions were predominantly delivered in educational settings, with alcohol as the most common target substance.
• Most interventions combined multiple theoretical approaches, often web-based.
• Randomized controlled trials were common, but evaluation of individual components was rare.

Conclusions:

• Digital interventions offer a variety of components for substance use prevention in young people.
• The combination of diverse components and theoretical approaches complicates the assessment of individual component effectiveness.
• Future research should focus on innovative methods to evaluate the impact of single components and their interactions within complex digital interventions.