First results on the efficacy of a digital life-skills program for substance use prevention

Abstract

Abstract Background Life-skills trainings conducted within the school curriculum are effective in preventing the onset and escalation of substance use among adolescents. However, their dissemination is impeded due to their large resource requirements. Life-skills training provided via mobile phones might represent a more economic and scalable approach. Methods The efficacy of a mobile phone-based life-skills training to prevent substance use among adolescents is currently tested in comparison to an assessment only control group, within a cluster-randomised controlled trial with follow-up assessments after 6 and 18 months. The fully automated program is based on social cognitive theory and addresses self-management skills, social skills, and substance use resistance skills. Participants of the intervention group receive up to 4 individually-tailored text messages per week for a period of 6 months. The study started in 2019 and aims for 1,312 study participants between the ages of 14 and 16 years from approx. 100 secondary school classes in Switzerland. Outcomes are 1) problem drinking, 2) cigarette smoking, 3) perceived stress and 4) interpersonal competences. Results So far, 1'611 students within 88 secondary school classes were invited to participate in the study. Of these, 1,450 (90.0%) consented to participate. To date, 24 out of 726 (3.3%) participants of the intervention group discontinued the program and 945 (65.2%) were invited for 6-month follow-up. Of these, 752 (79.6%) completed the assessment. Preliminary analyses showed a beneficial effect of the intervention for the subscale negative assertion, assessed by the brief version of the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire. Conclusions A large proportion of adolescents participated in this first study testing the efficacy of a mobile phone-based life-skills training for substance use prevention and the majority of them participated at 6-month follow-up. Key messages A novel, mobile phone-based life-skills training seems widely accepted by secondary students. Given its effectiveness, it could be economically implemented within secondary schools.