Supporting people affected by problematic alcohol, substance use and other behaviours under pandemic conditions: A pragmatic evaluation of how SMART recovery Australia responded to COVID-19

Alison K Beck; Briony Larance; Amanda L Baker; Frank P Deane; Victoria Manning; Leanne Hides; Peter J Kelly

doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107577

Supporting people affected by problematic alcohol, substance use and other behaviours under pandemic conditions: A pragmatic evaluation of how SMART recovery Australia responded to COVID-19

Addict Behav. 2023 Apr:139:107577. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107577. Epub 2022 Dec 10.

Authors

Alison K Beck¹, Briony Larance², Amanda L Baker³, Frank P Deane⁴, Victoria Manning⁵, Leanne Hides⁶, Peter J Kelly⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wollongong, Australia. Electronic address: alisonbe@uow.edu.au.
² School of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wollongong, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Australia. Electronic address: blarance@uow.edu.au.
³ School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Australia. Electronic address: amanda.baker@newcastle.edu.au.
⁴ School of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wollongong, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Australia. Electronic address: fdeane@uow.edu.au.
⁵ Eastern Health Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Australia. Electronic address: victoria.manning@monash.edu.
⁶ Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, Lives Lived Well Group, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: l.hides@uq.edu.au.
⁷ School of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wollongong, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Australia. Electronic address: pkelly@uow.edu.au.

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted rapid, reflexive transition from face-to-face to online healthcare. For group-based addiction services, evidence for the impact on service delivery and participant experience is limited.

Methods: A 12-month (plus 2-month follow-up) pragmatic evaluation of the upscaling of online mutual-help groups by SMART Recovery Australia (SRAU) was conducted using The Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Data captured by SRAU between 1st July 2020 and 31st August 2021 included participant questionnaires, Zoom Data Analytics and administrative logs.

Results: Reach: The number of online groups increased from just 6 pre-COVID-19 to 132. These groups were delivered on 2786 (M = 232.16, SD = 42.34 per month) occasions, to 41,752 (M = 3479.33, SD = 576.34) attendees.

Effectiveness: Participants (n = 1052) reported finding the online group meetings highly engaging and a positive, recovery supportive experience. 91 % of people with experience of face-to-face group meetings rated their online experience as equivalent or better. Adoption: Eleven services (including SRAU) and five volunteers delivered group meetings for the entire 12-months.

Implementation: SRAU surpassed their goal of establishing 100 groups. Maintenance: The average number of meetings delivered [t(11.14) = -1.45, p = 0.1737] and attendees [t(1.95) = -3.28, p = 0.1880] per month were maintained across a two-month follow-up period.

Conclusions: SRAU scaled-up the delivery of online mutual-help groups in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings support the accessibility, acceptability and sustainability of delivering SMART Recovery mutual-help groups online. Not only are these findings important in light of the global pandemic and public safety, but they demonstrate the potential for reaching and supporting difficult and under-served populations.

Keywords: Digital Recovery Support Services; Mutual-help; RE-AIM; SMART Recovery; Substance Use Disorders, COVID-19.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Delivery of Health Care
Humans
Pandemics
Self-Help Groups
Substance-Related Disorders* / therapy