DayTREE

Background/Purpose

Young adults aged 18-24 have a high prevalence of substance use and mental illness, and those with multiple risk factors are at greater risk of victimization, with those living on the streets at the highest risk. The Day-TREE project was developed to address risk factors through substance abuse and mental health screening, referral to treatment, prevention education, housing assistance, and intensive case management with the goal of reduced substance use and improved quality of life.

Goals

Assist homeless and runaway youth with Substance Use Disorders by:

  • Providing case management/support services once screened by SARDI.
  • Providing substance abuse recovery assistance
  • Providing education on topics such as drug use, sexual health, life skills, and healthy relationships.
  • Refer for additional services as needed.
  • Providing transportation to appointments and community resources.

Outcomes

To date, the DayTREE project has 84 consumers who have completed both a baseline and 6-month follow-up. The following pre-post analysis is taken from data collected as part of the GPRA interview. All substance use and mental health questions on the GPRA ask the consumer to reflect on the 30 days prior to the interview.

When comparing the change in the mean number of days of use for those consumers using at baseline, there were statistically significant reductions from baseline to follow-up. Alcohol use reduced from eight mean days of use at baseline to roughly five mean days of use at 6-month follow-up (p=0.013). In addition, the change in illegal drug use in general and marijuana use from baseline to follow-up was statistically significant. Illegal drug use showed a decrease from over 16 days at baseline to 11 days at follow-up (p<0.001). Marijuana also decreased significantly from 16 days to 11 days over the same time period (p<0.001).

Though not all mental health indicators showed statistically significant change from baseline to 6-month follow-up, all did demonstrate a reduction. Statistically, significant decreases were noted for trouble concentrating where the mean number of days reduced from nine to six (p=0.050), experiencing hallucinations where the mean number of days decreased from one to zero (p=0.045), and violent behavior where the mean number of days reduced from two to less than one (p=0.051). Though not statistically significant, the mean number of days of depression diminished from eight to six from baseline to follow-up (p=0.170), anxiety decreased from ten to eight (p=0.144), and self-harm thoughts reduced from 0.11 days at baseline to 0.01 days at follow-up (p=0.208).

Grant Type

Direct Service

Funded By

SAMHSA, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)

Grant No.

TI081341

Principal Investigator

Jo Ann Ford

Primary Contact

jo.ford@wright.edu

Partner Agencies

Daybreak

Publications/Presentations

  • Gaddis, R., Ford, J. A., Kinzeler, N. R., McNeil, T., Hardin, L., & Kissell, K. M. (2022, March 13-16) Effects of the Pandemic on Case Management Services for Marginally Housed Young Adult Substance Abusers [Poster presentation]. American Academy of Health Behavior Annual Scientific Meeting, Key Largo, FL, United States.
  • Kissell, K. M., Gaddis, R., Hardin, L., McNeil, T., & Ford, J. A. (2022, March 13-16). Changes in Behavioral Health Outcomes for Marginally Housed Youth in Dayton, OH [Poster presentation]. American Academy of Health Behavior Annual Scientific Meeting, Key Largo, FL, United States.
  • Ford, J. A., Gaddis, R., McNeil, T., Whitford, J., & Kissell, K. M. (2020, October 24-28) Utilizing intensive case management to reinforce harm reduction in young adult substance abusers [Poster presentation]. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo, San Francisco, CA, United States.
  • Kissell, K. M., Gaddis, R., Whitford, J., McNeil, T., & Ford, J. A. (2020, October 24-28). Utilizing an ancillary services approach to decrease substance use and improve mental health in runaway and homeless youth [Poster presentation]. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo, San Francisco, CA, United States.
  • Gaddis, R., Kissell, K. M., Whitford, J., McNeil, T., & Ford, J.A. (2020, September 14-24). Risky health behaviors in runaway and homeless transitional aged youth [Poster presentation]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention STD Prevention Conference, Atlanta, GA, United States.