Data Collection Strategies and Measurement Tools for Assessing Academic and Therapeutic Outcomes in Recovery Schools

Abstract

Accurate evaluation and documentation of the efficacy of recovery schools can be vital to the continuation and expansion of these beneficial resources. A very limited data set currently exists that examines the value of specific schools established to support adolescents and young adults in recovery; additional research is necessary. The following article outlines the methodology utilized in a current quasi-experimental study evaluating both academic and therapeutic outcomes of adolescents attending recovery high schools as compared to traditional (non-recovery-based) high schools. The developmental considerations in assessing adolescents in recovery and their parents is delineated in this article, which underscores the need for extensive knowledge of adolescent substance abuse and other mental health issues. In addition, sensitivity around privacy among adolescents, parents, schools, and health providers is highlighted, as well as the validity of assessment. Key assessment strategies, including protocol of recruitment and interviewing techniques, are also presented along with a list of parent and adolescent assessment instruments and their corresponding interpretive variables. Protocol recommendations for future research are also outlined.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Andria M. Botzet

Andria M. Botzet, M.A., has worked in the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research at the University of Minnesota for more than 18 years. She helps to coordinate and manage several research projects in addition to conducting assessments and interventions with adolescents and young adults who experience alcohol, drug, and gambling addictions.

Patrick W. McIlvaine

Patrick W. McIlvaine is a Research Study Grant Coordinator in the Psychiatry Department at the University of Minnesota. He has worked with the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research since 2011. He has also served as an outside consultant for several agencies in the fields of addiction and mental health, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in 2012.

Ken C. Winters

Ken C. Winters, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota, director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research, and a Senior Scientist with the Treatment Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA. He received his B.A. from the University of Minnesota and his Ph.D. in Psychology (Clinical) from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His primary research interests are the assessment and treatment of addictions, including adolescent drug abuse and problem gambling.

Tamara Fahnhorst

Tamara Fahnhorst, M.P.H., has been employed in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota for more than 20 years. She has worked in both administrative and therapeutic capacities on numerous research initiatives for youth who suffer from mental health and drug abuse problems. She has authored several journal articles and book chapters pertaining to adolescent alcohol and drug use prevention, assessment, and intervention.

Christine Dittel

Christine Dittel received her degree from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls in 1991 and joined the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse the same year. She has worked at the University of Minnesota for 22 years researching eating disorders, pathological gambling, and substance use disorders.