Date Presented 04/05/19
The transition period from education to employment is a difficult period that is further complicated by a diagnosis of SUD. While adolescent choices may have a major impact on employment attainment and sustainability, preliminary results show that implementation of a manualized soft skills training program among adolescents with SUD shows promise in improving self-efficacy, which is a primary driver of career-related confidence, goal persistence, and decision-making.
Primary Author and Speaker: Hailey Grigas
Additional Authors and Speakers: Adeline Warren, Cailyn Zornes
Contributing Authors: Annemarie Connor
PURPOSE: The transition period from education to employment is a difficult time when adolescents have increased freedom and independence, further complicated by a diagnosis of substance use disorder (SUD).. The choices made during this time can carry lifelong effects into adulthood and may have a major impact on employment attainment and sustainability (Das et al, 2016). Building on the foundation of Social Cognitive Career Theory, the purpose of the study was to examine the preliminary efficacy and acceptability of using a manualized, work-related social skills training program for adolescents with SUD to help impaired social functioning as it relates directly to employment (Lent & Brown, 2017). Extrapolating from a previous study of young adults with autism who completed the Assistive Social Skills and Employment Training (ASSET) program (Connor, 2017, Sung et al., 2018), it was hypothesized that this training would be associated with improvements in vocational social skills, self-efficacy, and psychological wellness among adolescents with SUD. The study explored two research questions: (1) Is ASSET is associated with improvements in work-related social skills and self-efficacy when facilitated by OTS?, and (2) Is ASSET associated with improved psychological wellness among adolescents with substance use disorder?
DESIGN: Using a quasi-experimental pretest posttest design, this study measured the effects of the manualized ASSET intervention on the pilot population of ten adolescents with SUD. Data was collected at pre-intervention (T1), post-intervention (T2), and following each session. A convenience sample of participants was recruited from a residential inpatient school and rehabilitation center for adolescents with SUD.
METHOD: Self-report instruments were used to collect data on the primary outcome measures, self efficacy and soft skills, as well as the secondary outcome measure, mental health. Descriptive statistics were generated for both primary and secondary outcome measures at T1 and T2 to screen variance, normality, outliers, and for missing data. Paired sample t-tests and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests were conducted to determine statistical significance. Cohen’s d was used to determine effect sizes for clinical significance.
RESULTS: Participants reported greater perceived general, social, and empathic self-efficacy after completing the 13-session intervention. This change was statistically significant with the alpha level set to 0.05. The majority (≥77%) of students reported improvements in perceived confidence in work-related functioning. On average, participants reported greater perceived social functioning and greater perceived work-related social skills. Professionalism (64%), communication (43%), teamwork (36%), and networking (36%) were the areas rated most largely improved. Participant reported less anxious and depressive symptoms after participating in the program, however, these results were not statistically significant.
CONCLUSION: Given the positive results in participant self-efficacy and self-perceived work-related function found in this pilot study, soft skills training programs show promise in increasing work-related confidence and social function among adolescents with SUD. Pragmatically, the intervention piloted in this study can be implemented easily by occupational therapists, does not require many materials, and is designed for group delivery. These factors, in combination with the results of this pilot study, indicate that the delivery of a manualized soft skills program to the SUD population by occupational therapists warrants future research using multi-site replication and more rigorous research design, including randomization and control.
References
Connor, A. (2017). Beyond skills to pay the bills: Effects of a vocational social skills intervention on psychosocial functioning among young adults with autism Available from Dissertations & Theses @ Michigan State University - Rehabilitation & Disability Studies. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1897557470
Sung, C., Connor, A., Chen, J., Lin, C., Kuo, H, & Chun, J. (2018). Development, feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an employment-related social skills intervention for young adults with high functioning autism. Manuscript in press. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice.
Das, J. K., Salam, R. A., Arshad, A., Finkelstein, Y., & Bhutta, Z. A. (2016). Interventions for adolescent substance abuse: An overview of systematic reviews. Journal of Adolescent Health, 59(4), S75. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.06.021
Lent, R. W., & Brown, S. D. (2017). Social cognitive career theory in a diverse world. Journal of Career Assessment, 25(1), 3-5. doi:10.1177/1069072716657811
