Road to Resilience/�Reverse the Risks

R.T.R.

�Substance Use Prevention Toolkit Model�Risk and Resiliency within a preventive framework

Maryam Mallakin

OCAD University, 2020

Research Questions

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• How can we prevent, reduce, or delay problematic substance use among the youths (defined here as 12-18 years old)?

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• What are the main characteristics of a preventive toolkit that enables youths to reduce the risk-taking behaviors (e.g., Substance Use)?

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Methodology

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• Literature review;
• Scanning online/offline resources;
• SMEs interviews;
• Co-design workshop (with youths);
• Prototyping and evaluation.

Road to Resilience/�Reverse the Risks

R.T.R.

Road to Resilience/�Reverse the Risks

Scanning

Online/

Offline

resource

SMEs’

Interview

To gain more information about current youths’ mental health issues, their needs and demands.

To identify effective methods, programs, strategies and tools, which have valuable applications in youth resilience building and managing substance use.

Co-design

With youth

To involve youths in design process by integrating their voice, perspective, and ideas in design of a service that they will use.

To assess and evaluate the initial design, and to develop

the final design and implementation of the toolkit.

Prototype

&

Evaluate

Research Methods (Following the Literature Review)

R.T.R.

Road to Resilience/�Reverse the Risks

R.T.R.

Why prevention? Its evident that prevention interventions playing an essential role in not only reducing substance use, also addressing a wide range of potential problems beyond that, which are associated with costly individual, social, and public health consequences (HHS, 2016).

Why youth (defined here as ages 12-18)? It is evident that the youth population is one of the at-risk population that needs a special focus and specific prevention strategies. Early experience with substance use not only affect youth’s current health and well-being, have several negative outcomes on their future development and life (CCSA,2007).

Why through enhancing resilience? Development of resilience is associated with the prevention of various risk factors such as: problematic substance use, bullying, violence, mental health problems, early sexual activity, depression and suicide that put young people at risk of developing problematic behaviors. Resiliency is not only a powerful skill to overcome different types of adversities, also has a huge impact on youth’s promoting academic success, better mental and physical health, and more socially responsible lifestyles (Rudzinski, McDonough, & et al., 2017)

Point of view

Road to Resilience/�Reverse the Risks

R.T.R.

Scan

Online/

Offline

resource

SMEs’

Interview

• “Providing different available and accessible resources for youths is one of their main needs.”
• “Internal & external resources are two key factors to empower youths.”
• “Providing Support, confidence, and hope is necessary for youths.”
• “combining prevention and harm reduction approaches works well.”

• “Respect, trust , and connection are three main elements in engaging youth in health promotion interventions.”
• “it's important to be honest because if you only talk about drugs risk, there will be much fewer young people reaching out to the toolkit”
• “youths need to be aware of their natural & logical consequences of their behaviors.”

Co-design

With youths

• “I need to now that problem is affecting my life (aware that I need help)”
• “Using fear as method of prevention doesn’t work! (people don’t connect”
• “Apps that explains risk factors and ensures what you are feeling is normal and surmountable”
• “Place for feedback, no rush to reach a solution & getting notification that gives re-enforcement are good.”

• “communicating user improvement in resilience further to the intervention and training.”
• “It may be desirable to consider overlapped with the domain of machine learning and AI in future thinking.”
• It’s a platform that could greatly benefit health organizations, educational environment and community support networks.”

Prototype

&

Evaluate

Insights and Feedbacks

Toolkit Main Characteristics & Goals

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RTR is an informative and interactive toolkit (health promotion service) that aims to:

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• Enhance youths’ awareness and knowledge about risk-taking behaviors (here substance use)
• Develop and enhance resilience skill to help youths to reduce the risk factors and overcome adversities
• Provide a safe, engaging and supportive environment to engage youths in a service that promotes their health and well-being

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Toolkit Main Components

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• Building Resilience (B.R.)
• Substance use management (S.U.M)
• Building positive relationship (B.P.R)

Road to Resilience/�Reverse the Risks

R.T.R.

. What is resiliency and its benefits?

. How to cope adversity and bounce back to a balanced state;

. How having a sense of control over your life;

. How to be purposeful, realistic, and optimistic.

. The recommended activities t are based on the result of your assessment test, working on these activities improve your strength-based skills, which enable you to reduce the risk factors and overcome adversities.

. Various supportive resources that enable you to build positive peer relationship, consult and ask your questions from supportive volunteer groups, and also provide easy access to reliable resources.

. Find out about your strengths and weakness, skills that you need to develop or skills that you need to build.

. The test measures how well you are equipped to learn, grow, change, and control your life.

Building

Resilience Component

B.R.C

Toolkit

User’s

Journey

. What are the main risk & protective factors?

. Each scenario represents a specific risk that might affect you, and recommendation represents the protective factors that you need to strength.

. The recommended activities are based on the selected scenario, working on these activities improve your ability and strengthen required skills to mitigate the risk factors, and reduce risk-taking behaviors.

. Challenge your knowledge through the quizzes and tests.

. It’s not just about the facts you know, rather about your ability to analyze, evaluate and apply those information (critical thinking).

Substance

Use

Management Component

S.U.M.C

Toolkit

User’s

Journey

Joining Peers

Building positive relationship

Q & A with volunteer groups

The toolkit viral chat option (chatroom and chat box) provides an opportunity for user to have social/ friendship groups, which can play an important role in building positive peer relationship that resulting connectedness and belongingness.

The Q & A chat box provides an opportunity for user to have an access to volunteer groups, who playing a important supportive and caring role, including: volunteer parents and professionals (health/mental health)

“Involving parents

and experts within the toolkit play an important role . They are co-pilots

in this journey.”

SME’s Interview

“Having meaningful connections , making and nurturing friendships will assist in developing resiliency.”

SME’s Interview

Building

Positive

Relationship Component

B.P.R.C

“Provide the space to enhance a sense of

belonging.”

SME’s Interview

“Reach out to mental health (advocates) through the toolkit would be very helpful”

Co-design workshop

Toolkit

User’s

Journey

1^st engagement

Continuing engagement

B.R.

S.U.M.

B.R.

S.U.M.

Q & A

Links

Videos

Chatroom

&

Chat Box

Navigation

Map

>

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>

>

>

>

>

Notification

Feedback

>

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R.T.R.

Project Outcomes

Outcomes

Challenges

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• Advertising and marketing of the toolkit that is not entertainment platform;
• To provide a safe, secure, and inclusive digital environment for youths;
• To engage and maintain youths with the toolkit;
• To measure the toolkit impact.

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Next Step

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• Further research and investigation to develop the toolkit components
• Content
• Accessibility
• Safety
• Integration the toolkit (mental health and training service) at a higher scientific level;
• Engaging the health organizations, educational environment and community support networks in designing communication strategies for adoption and implementation of the toolkit.

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R.T.R.

Challenges

&

Next step

Prototype

Wireframe

Information Architecture & Interaction Wireframe

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How does the R.T.R. work?

Prototype

Interactions

Video

01:59.80

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Road to Resilience/�Reverse the Risks

R.T.R.

References

Beheshti, J. (2012). Virtual Environment for children and teens. In J. Beheshti, Virtual Reality in Psychological, Medical and Pedagogical applications.

East, L., Jackson, D., & et al. (2010). Storytelling: An approach that can help to developed resilience. Nurse Res., 17(3), 17-25.

iMind drug education. (2020, February). Retrieved from University of Victoria: http://www.iminds.ca

Jackson, S. (2012). Building Resiliency in Young People. Reach out Teachers Network.

Johnstone, C. (2015, February 16). Inspiring stories of resilience. Retrieved from Positive Psychology: www.positive.news

Marsch, L. A., & Borodousky, J. (2016). Technology-Based Interventions for Preventing and Treating Substance Use Among Youth. Child Adolescent Psychiatry Clin N Am., 25(4), 755-768.

Pennybaker, J. (2011, January). teaching Resilience Through storytelling. Retrieved from Psychology Today: www.psychologytoday.com

Rosenbaum, M. (2019). Safety First- A Reality-Based Approach To Teens And Drugs. Drug Policy Alliance.

Rudzinski, k., McDonough, P., & et al. (2017). is there room for resilience? A scoping review and critique of substance use literature and its utilization of the concept. Substance Abuse

treatment, prevention, and policy.

Ungar, M. (2019). What's Work, A manual for designing programs that build resilience. Resilience Research Centre.

Wignall, N. (2019, March 29). how to be more resilient in everyday life. Retrieved from Nick Wignall: www.nickwignall.com

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