Helping 18–25-year-olds stay in outpatient substance use care
Enhancing Substance Use Treatment Services to Decrease Dropout and Improve Outpatient Treatment Utilization in Emerging Adults
A peer-delivered program aims to help 18–25-year-olds stay connected to outpatient substance use treatment and use services more.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Connecticut Sch of Med/dnt NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Farmington, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11310717 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be invited if you are 18–25 and receiving outpatient care for substance use. Peers with lived experience would provide extra, developmentally tailored support designed to keep you engaged and reduce dropout. The program compares this enhancement to usual treatment and follows participants over time using clinic records and follow-up visits. Researchers will track attendance, continued substance use, and related service use and costs.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Young adults aged 18–25 who are starting or currently enrolled in outpatient substance use treatment and who are at risk of dropping out.
Not a fit: People under 18 or over 25, those not in outpatient substance use care, or those whose primary issues are unrelated to substance use may not benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help more young adults stay in treatment, lower risks like overdose or incarceration, and reduce costly acute care needs.
How similar studies have performed: Peer recovery supports have shown promise in adult populations, but rigorous, age-tailored tests for emerging adults are limited, making this a partly novel approach built on promising evidence.
Where this research is happening
Farmington, United States
- University of Connecticut Sch of Med/dnt — Farmington, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zajac, Kristyn — University of Connecticut Sch of Med/dnt
- Study coordinator: Zajac, Kristyn
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.