The effectiveness of an indicated prevention programme for substance use in individuals with mild intellectual disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning: Results of a quasi-experimental study

Abstract

Aims: To assess the effectiveness of Take it personal!, a prevention programme for individuals with mild intellectual disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning (MID-BIF) and substance use (SU). The prevention programme aims to reduce SU (alcohol, cannabis, and illicit drugs) among experimental to problematic substance users. Design: A quasi-experimental design with two arms and a 3-month follow-up. Setting Adolescents were recruited from 14 treatment centres in the Netherlands specialised in offering intra- and extramural care for people with MID-BIF and behavioural problems. Participants: Data were collected from 66 individuals with MID-BIF assigned either to the intervention condition (n=34) or to the control condition (n=32). Interventions: Take it personal! was designed to target four personality traits: sensation seeking, impulsive behaviour, anxiety sensitivity, and negative thinking. For each of these profiles, interventions were developed that were structurally the same but contained different personality-specific materials, games, and exercises. The control group received care as usual. Measurements: Primary outcomes at 3-month follow-up were frequency of SU, severity of SU and binge drinking. Findings: Results showed intervention effects for SU frequency (F(1, 50.43) = 9.27, p = 0.004) and binge drinking (F(1, 48.02) = 8.63, p = 0.005), but not for severity of SU (F(1, 42.09) = 2.20, p = 0.145). Conclusions: A prevention programme to reduce substance use among experimental to problematic users with mild intellectual disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning helped participants decrease substance use frequency and binge drinking.