The Efficacy of Telemental Health Substance Abuse Intervention with Justice-Involved Youth

This study assessed the effectiveness of a telemental health substance abuse intervention provided to justice-involved youth. The participants for this study were adolescents between ages 10-17 who completed the intervention while under the supervision of Denton County Juvenile Probation between January 2019 and August 2021. The intervention was originally offered in an in-person format, then transitioned to telemental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. This dissertation used a quantitative approach to examine secondary data to assess the efficacy of the program involving psychoeducational interventions in both in-person and online modalities. Survey outcomes, demographic information, and recidivism data were analyzed using a postpositivist quasi-experimental design to assess the impact of program completion on justice-involved youth. A statistically significant interaction between program modality and survey scores was identified. Results also revealed that High Probability SASSI A-2 scores in participants were correlated with likelihood of recidivism. Overall, the study added to the literature regarding evidence-based interventions for counselors working with justice-involved youth.

Embargo status: Restricted until 01/2027. To request the author grant access, click on the PDF link to the left.