Effectiveness of Residential Treatment for Substance Abusing Youth: Benefits of the Pine River Institute Program

Abstract

We investigated the effectiveness treatment for substance abusing youth at an innovative residential program in Canada, the Pine River Institute (PRI). We explored (a) whether pretreatment problems were predicted by individual differences; (b) what predicted treatment progression; (c) the amount of improvement pre- to posttreatment; and (d) what predicted those improvements. From data from 148 youths, we found that (a) parental divorce and mental health issues were associated with pretreatment problems; (b) youths who attended PRI in more recent years progressed further through treatment; (c) improvements were significant and large; and (d) youths who progress further in treatment experience greater improvements.

Keywords:

• adolescent substance abuse
• youth addiction treatment
• residential youth treatment

Acknowledgments

The primary author is the Director of Research and Evaluation at the residential treatment center that was the focus of this study. This is not a conflict, but is stated for transparency.