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Motivation for Substance Use Treatment Initiation, Engagement, and Recovery among Transition-age Adults, 18-25

Sat, August 8, 2:00 to 3:00pm, TBA

Abstract

What factors impact how transition-age adults (i.e., ages 18-25) pursue substance use, treatment, and recovery? The transition from adolescence to adulthood is an unsettled period marked by changes in identity, autonomy, roles, and responsibilities. During this period of development, increased risk-taking, substance exposure, and reward sensitivity contribute to a more severe course of substance use. Compared to adolescents and older adults, TA adults are also less likely to seek out and remain engaged once treatment begins. Research suggests motivation for change plays a pivotal role in whether and how people interpret a need for help, seek treatment, and pursue recovery. However, research on how motivation relates to treatment tends to focus on either adolescents or older adults. The developmental, social, and structural factors that contribute to motivation among young people who use substances have been left underexplored.

We conducted 24 semi-structured interviews with 18–25-year-olds with a history of problem substance use yet vary by whether and how often they have engaged with the treatment system. Our objective was to identify what factors show up in the perceptions and experiences that are associated with seeking treatment, sustaining treatment engagement, and continuing into recovery. Today’s youth are forging new pathways to treatment and recovery, navigating routes shaped increasingly less by traditional peer pressure and criminal legal mandates that defined previous young adult generations. Re-imagining interventions that elicit and enhance motivation across stages of change will be discussed.

Authors