Avatar Assisted Therapy for Probationers and Parolees with Substance Use Disorders

Cog Analytics, Llc, Potomac MD

Investigators

Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Substance use disorders (SUDs) continue to be one of the most serious public health problems in the US. Studies have consistently documented a substantially higher prevalence of SUDs among individuals under criminal justice supervision. At year end 2012, approximately 6.9 million adults were under criminal justice supervision in the US of which 4.8 million (1 in 48 adults) were on community supervision (e.g., probation or parole). African American probationers and parolees with SUDs are particularly vulnerable to illicit substance use and HIV infection as they typically live in neighborhoods characterized by high rates of joblessness, drug use, and poverty and they are likely to engage in drug-and sex-related HIV risk behaviors in the community. Technology-based interventions for individuals with SUDs have grown significantly in recent years. Avatar Assisted Therapy (AAT) is an emerging technology-based intervention that has recently been utilized in a clinic environment and is promising because of its ability to overcome common barriers associated with traditional, in-person treatment. AAT uses the Internet to enable clinicians and clients in substance abuse treatment programs the ability to interact in group sessions from separate and remote locations in real-time through the use of avatars - digital self-representations. We propose to develop an AAT platform for probationers/parolees with SUDs who are in need of outpatient substance abuse treatment. Probationers and parolees, many of whom are low-income urban African Americans, are an important health disparity population that stands to benefit from AAT. This research will be conducted in collaboration with Total Health Care (THC), a federally qualified health center and Maryland's largest minority-operated non-profit community health center. If found effective, AAT could be deployed across the national network of outpatient substance abuse treatment providers/programs, potentially improving SUD treatment access and retention for a very high-risk population of probationers/parolees with SUDs. We envision that AAT will be marketed as a counseling toolkit for substance abuse treatment providers, with revenue generated through program-wide licensing fees.