Technology-based interventions for the treatment and recovery management of substance use disorders: A JSAT special issue

Abstract

A growing line of research has highlighted the promising role that interactive web and mobile technologies may play in improving the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and reach of efforts to assess, prevent, treat, and support the recovery management of substance use disorders and other risk behavior. Manuscripts in this special issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment focus on the application of technology to the delivery of interventions for the treatment and recovery management of substance use disorders. These manuscripts are intended to highlight the diversity and current state of the science of empirically-supported innovations in this area of intervention delivery. The included manuscripts range from experimental evaluations of a variety of types of technology-based interventions (brief interventions, behavior therapy, medication adherence tools, and HIV prevention interventions) and technology platforms (mobile, Web, videoconferencing, and telephone-based interactive voice response), for an array of populations (adults, adolescents, criminal justice populations, and post-partum women), in a number of different settings (addiction specialty treatment programs, schools, emergency rooms, and criminal justice settings). They additionally reflect a variety of experimental research designs, including those focused on the design, development, and clinical evaluation of these technology-based therapeutic tools, as well as research focused on models for their successful implementation and sustained use.