Engaging Family Members During Early SUD Treatment: A Hybrid Trial

Family members (FMs) of people with substance use disorder (SUD)-including biological, extended, or chosen family-face chronic stress and are at high risk for mental and physical health problems. The impact is worsened by stigma, guilt, shame, and self-blame that often accompany a loved one's substance use, leading to social isolation and uncertainty about how to support recovery. Although FMs are motivated to help with treatment navigation, many do not seek support for themselves. Programs like Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) can support FMs and provide tools to improve their own lives while assisting their loved one's recovery. While CRAFT is well-established in community settings for increasing a family member's initiation into treatment, its applicability in clinical SUD settings is less clear. It remains unknown whether CRAFT can enhance patient treatment retention in clinical settings and whether FMs who might not seek care would participate.

To advance the science of engaging and supporting families impacted by SUD, investigators will (1) Conduct an iterative online process with FMs and clinic staff to identify potential family engagement strategies that community health centers (CHCs) can deliver that are effective, feasible, acceptable, and appropriate, and (2) Test those strategies using a fractional factorial trial.

FAMILY MEMBERS:

Inclusion criteria

• 18 years old or older
• A parent, child, sibling, spouse/romantic partner, or other adult supporting a loved one who initiated SUD treatment in past 3 months
• Cohabitating with their loved one
• In frequent contact (in-person or virtual) with their loved one (at least 3x/week)
• Not worried about potential physical harm from their loved one
• Report no illicit drug use in the past year

PATIENTS:

Inclusion criteria

• 18 years old or older
• In frequent contact with a family member (at least 3x/week) that they cohabitate with
• Have initiated substance use treatment in past 3 months

CLINIC PROVIDERS:

Inclusion criteria

• Counselor/Clinician providing care at our partner clinic for SUD

Exclusion criteria

(ALL):

• Does not have capacity to consent (e.g., severe cognitive impairment, in active psychosis, or developmental disabilities)
• Does not understand English fluently