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. 2008 Aug;32(8):1468-78.
doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2008.00712.x. Epub 2008 Jun 28.

Social recovery model: an 8-year investigation of adolescent 12-step group involvement following inpatient treatment

John F Kelly  1 , Sandra A Brown, Ana Abrantes, Christopher W Kahler, Mark Myers
Affiliations

Social recovery model: an 8-year investigation of adolescent 12-step group involvement following inpatient treatment

John F Kelly et al. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2008 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Despite widespread use of 12-step treatment approaches and referrals to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) by youth providers, little is known about the significance of these organizations in youth addiction recovery. Furthermore, existing evidence is based mostly on short-term follow-up and is limited methodologically.

Methods: Adolescent inpatients (n = 160; mean age = 16, 40% female) were followed at 6-months, and at 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 years posttreatment. Time-lagged, generalized estimating equations modeled treatment outcome in relation to AA/NA attendance controlling for static and time-varying covariates. Robust regression (locally weighted scatterplot smoothing) explored dose-response thresholds of AA/NA attendance on outcome.

Results: The AA/NA attendance was common and intensive early posttreatment, but declined sharply and steadily over the 8-year period. Patients with greater addiction severity and those who believed that they could not use substances in moderation were more likely to attend. Despite declining attendance, the effects related to AA/NA remained significant and consistent. Greater early participation was associated with better long-term outcomes.

Conclusions: Even though many youth discontinue AA/NA over time, attendees appear to benefit, and more severely substance-involved youth attend most. Successful early posttreatment engagement of youth in abstinence-supportive social contexts, such as AA/NA, may have long-term implications for alcohol and drug involvement into young adulthood.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percent of Patients attending Any, Monthly, and Weekly AA/NA meetings across 8 Years Following Inpatient Treatment
Figure 2
Figure 2
Exploration of Thresholds of AA/NA attendance in Relation to Concurrent and Subsequent PDA using Robust Locally weighted Scatterplot Smoothing (LOWESS) Curves (OLS Regression line also shown).
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