The devastating impacts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic is expected to have impacts on young adults’ mental health and substance use (a population already at high risk). Time is of the essence to provide young adults evidence-based information to reduce risk from alcohol use within the context of COVID-19 epidemic, promote continuation of social distancing while also encouraging pro-social behavior to reduce isolation, and skills to reduce coping- or socially-motivated alcohol use and associated negative consequences. This project aims to develop and examine feasibility and acceptability of a time-sensitive COVID-19-specific personalized normative feedback intervention disseminated via social media that focuses on drinking motivations to cope with distress and/or to enhance social connectedness, as well as to promote engagement in strategies for stress management and increase engagement in social, alcohol-free activities while also practicing social distancing.
Patient Population: Young Adults
Disseminating a user-friendly guide: Advancing the science of intervention adaptation and improving access to evidence-based psychological treatment
Adaptation of evidence-based practices and programs (EBPs) is a necessary component of the implementation process. EBPs must be adapted to function with the constraints of real-world practice settings, providers’ expertise, and patients’ needs. The science of intervention adaptation is hungry for well-defined methods of EBP adaptation to guide decision making. A how-to guide for EBP adaptation titled MODIFI: Making Optimal Decisions for Intervention Flexibility during Implementation, is under development with NIMH funding (F32 MH116623). MODIFI will be disseminated via multiple strategies locally, nationally, and internationally. Dissemination of MODIFI will improve the practice of intervention adaptation by providing practitioners with a how-to guide that is (a) evidence-based, (b) usable, and (c) supported by the expert consensus of implementation practitioners and researchers.
The Doorway Project
The Doorway project is a University of Washington and YouthCare-led initiative focusing on addressing youth homelessness in the University District through continuous community-engaged collaboration with U District service providers and community members. The primary aim of the project is to center the voices of youth and young adults in the U-district who are experiencing homelessness in order to co-develop and evaluate a comprehensive and effective model that reduces youth homelessness and improves quality of life for all affected.
citiesRISE
| citiesRISE is a global platform committed to transforming the state of mental health policy and practice in cities and beyond to meet the mental health needs of populations across the world. To achieve significant, measurable improvements in mental health – especially among young people – citiesRISE is scaling up proven methodologies and tools and harnessing the skills and energy of experts and communities. Our vision is a world in which cities enable young people to grow up, develop resilience, and lead productive lives through mainstreaming mental health across sectors. citiesRISE proposes a multi-component model for transforming youth mental health in cities around the world, centered on youth mobilization, scale-up of evidence-informed interventions that address the dimensional aspects of mental health (maintaining wellness through mental health promotion and preventive interventions, early intervention for youth at risk, and access to quality care for young people in need of mental health services); appropriate and innovative use of technology to support mental health, and transformation of specialist practice for community orientation and youth-centered focus. |
Project ACE
The objective of this research is to develop and test brief interventions that aim to reduce young adult alcohol misuse by providing personalized feedback regarding alcohol craving. The project involves two phases; one using qualitative methods to inform the intervention development; and a second testing the feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy of personalized feedback interventions.
Project Transitions
The transition to adulthood is characterized by many changes in various domains of life (e.g., living situation, education, work, romantic relationships) and some transitions may be more impactful on health than others. Project Transitions is designed to understand not only major life changes (e.g., marriage, parenting), but also the many smaller life changes that occur during young adulthood and the impact on immediate and long-term changes in alcohol use and consequences.
Improving usability
While evidence-based psychosocial interventions (EBPIs) are important, their design is cumbersome, complex, overwhelming, inflexible, and minimizes factors that are crucial for quality delivery of care.
This study will work with six FQHCs across MT that were recently reorganized under Bighorn Valley Health Center’s umbrella to involve their Therapists and Care Managers in the redesign of an intervention to address their unique patient population and to capitalize on their task sharing model.
Project SAM Transitions
This study is conducting secondary analyses on data collected from an unprecedented, recent longitudinal study of young adult drinkers recruited from the community in WA State after adult marijuana use was legalized for recreational purposes, Project Transitions. Analyses will increase our knowledge of concurrent and simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana across months, specifically examining substitution or complementary effects across substances and short-term potential consequences, and how reaching the legal age for marijuana influences trajectories of use. The project will provide answers to novel research questions that are of critical public health importance and have implications for young adult prevention and intervention strategies.
