Research Profile – Stopping Addiction Before it Starts

Researchers test a cognitive behavior therapy program designed to prevent substance abuse in adolescents.

[ Back to main article ]

Is it possible to prevent at-risk children from developing addiction and substance abuse problems later in life? That’s what researchers are trying to find out in a program being tested at elementary schools in Montreal.

The program, called CoVenture, seeks to identify children who have personality and behaviour traits that may increase their risk of future substance abuse problems, and provide evidence-based interventions.

The researchers are evaluating how well the program works in a school setting, its effectiveness over time, and its ability to protect normal cognitive and social development. They will recruit about 3,500 seventh-grade children per year over a five-year period. These students will be assessed annually until the end of grade 11.

“It’s important to catch problems early because early-onset substance misuse is associated with long-term negative outcomes, including greater risk for addiction, school drop-out, mental illness and poor physical health,” says Dr. Patricia Conrod, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal.

Around the seventh grade (about 12 years of age) many students start experimenting with alcohol and drugs. At this early age, the brain is still developing and substances such as alcohol and drugs can cause more neurologic damage than they do to an adult brain.

In the study children will undergo assessments to identify personality and behaviour characteristics, such as a tendency to experience higher levels of hopelessness, certain types of fear and anxiety, impulsivity, and risk-seeking behaviours. These traits are associated with increased risk of future substance abuse and addiction problems.

As well, four people – a team of guidance counsellors and teachers – at each school will be trained to work with at-risk children using tools from cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). The children will attend two 60 to 90 minute sessions per week, which will include a mix of counselling and workshop type activities. At these sessions, they will learn techniques to help them better understand their own emotions, and how to analyse and manage their thoughts and behaviours.

So far, about 2,500 children have been enrolled in the study. “Initial feedback has been very positive. The children like the sessions, and some say they’d like even longer ones,” says Dr. Conrod.

The researchers would like to determine how preventing or delaying the onset of alcohol and drug misuse impacts adolescent cognitive function or development. The answer to this question “has future implications, not only for the risk of addiction, but other mental health problems too,” she says.

Numerous scientific studies show that teaching CBT techniques to children is often effective for depression, anxiety and behaviour problems, but few programs using CBT have been delivered as a form of prevention, according to Dr. Conrod.

So far, 30 of the 32 schools being recruited are participating. Half the schools are randomized to include assessment plus the intervention, while the other half are serving as controls and will have assessments but no intervention. The researchers will provide training and intervention materials to all schools at the end of the study.

Later, researchers plan to perform brain imaging studies to investigate the neural benefits of alcohol and drug use prevention in adolescents.

“It’s important to catch problems early because early-onset substance misuse is associated with long-term negative outcomes, including greater risk for addiction, school drop-out, mental illness and poor physical health.”
– Dr. Patricia Conrod, University of Montreal