Aiming to improve behavioral health care, researchers at Riley Children’s Health and the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) have secured a substantial $4.7 million grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Initiative (PCORI), a nonprofit organization supporting research to help patients with their healthcare choices.
The grant will go toward an innovative study to understand optimal ways to intervene with adolescents whose use of alcohol and other drugs are affecting their lives. More specially, the project will test how different types of caregiver involvement impacts substance use and other outcomes over time.
Heading the research are Zachary Adams, PhD, and Tamika C. Zapolski, PhD, child and adolescent clinical psychologists at Riley Children’s and associate professors of psychiatry at the IU School of Medicine. They will focus on comparing the effectiveness of brief interventions in primary care settings to mitigate alcohol and other substance use among adolescents. With overdoses and other substance use-related harms on the rise among this demographic, early identification and intervention are crucial to averting potential negative effects.
The study, commenced in March 2024 and set to span five years, will enroll 585 adolescents aged 12-17 from diverse backgrounds across Indiana. Eligible youth are identified through routine screenings during well visits and other strategies in a set of primary care clinics. All participants take part in one-on-one brief intervention designed to help them boost motivation and develop skills to reduce or quit alcohol or other substances. Outcomes are measured through online surveys and brief interviews to provide valuable insights regarding the impact of the interventions on adolescent alcohol and other substance use.
“The results of this project could help redefine the way pediatricians and other primary care teams work with behavioral health providers to prevent alcohol and other substance use problems among youths in Indiana and across the country,” Dr. Adams said.
Another distinctive feature of this research is its emphasis on caregiver involvement, which Dr. Zapolski notes is key to a successful intervention process. Recognizing the pivotal role parents and caregivers play in supporting adolescents, the project will explore three approaches to augment the youth intervention: an additional dedicated caregiver session with the youth’s intervention provider, an online parenting program for the caregiver to conduct asynchronously, or no additional caregiver involvement.
This work builds upon a statewide Pediatric Integrated Behavioral Health Initiative, in partnership with the State of Indiana and supported by Indiana University Health and Riley Children’s. Led by Leslie Hulvershorn, MD, chair of the department of psychiatry and division director of child psychiatry and psychology at Riley, and Matthew C. Aalsma, PhD, HSPP, professor and division chief of Child Services Research at Riley, the initiative aims to expand access to behavioral health care in the primary care setting.
Advisory boards composed of community stakeholders, youth, caregivers and primary care clinicians will collaborate in the project to ensure accuracy, relevancy and success. A multidisciplinary team of investigators from IUSM, IU School of Public Health-Bloomington and national expert consultants will also contribute to the research.
“This funding will allow us to find the most effective and efficient treatment plan to get adolescents the help they need before their substance use becomes a larger issue,” Dr. Adams added.
About child and adolescent psychiatry
Child and adolescent specialists at Riley Children’s Health collaborate with patients to address each mental health need. Clinicians are active in research and innovation, committed to providing advanced care for psychiatric diagnoses and behavioral problems. Highlights include:
- One of few sites in the U.S. to offer a triple board program that trains physicians in pediatrics, general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry
- Developed the Behavioral Health Access Program for Youth (Be Happy) and Adolescent Addiction Access–programs that support care for mental health and substance use disorders
- Specialized programs including outpatient psychiatric care and hospital-based psychiatric care