Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42330591›Full record

ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2026

Testing a social mechanism of recovery high schools: Peer affiliation as a mediator of substance use outcomes.

Lauren M Berny, Emily A Hennessy, Andrew J Finch, Emily E Tanner-Smith

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Lauren M BernyDepartment of Counseling Psychology and Human Services, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA; Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA; National Center on Youth Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery, Center for Addiction Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: lberny@mgh.harvard.edu.
Emily A HennessyNational Center on Youth Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery, Center for Addiction Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Recovery Research Institute, Center for Addiction Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: ehennessy@mgh.harvard.edu.
Andrew J FinchDepartment of Human and Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. Electronic address: andrew.j.finch@vanderbilt.edu.
Emily E Tanner-SmithDepartment of Counseling Psychology and Human Services, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA; Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA. Electronic address: etanners@uoregon.edu.

Funding

Recovery High Schools as Continuing Care: Long-Term Recovery Effects and Mechanisms of ChangeR36DA059710 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF OREGON · PI BERNY, LAUREN MICHELLE · 2024 to 2025
$86k
NIDA NIH HHS R36 DA059710
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeLimited options for developmentally appropriate continuing care represent a critical barrier for youth in recovery. As one of the few options designed specifically for adolescents, recovery high schools (RHSs) warrant investigation to better understand their effects and the mechanisms through which they operate. This study examined the long-term effects of RHS attendance and tested whether peer-level social change operates as a mechanism.

methodsData were drawn from a longitudinal, group-design study of RHS effectiveness. Twelve-month follow-up substance use outcomes were compared between 146 adolescents who enrolled in RHSs after treatment and a propensity score-balanced comparison group of 117 adolescents who enrolled in traditional schools. Time-lagged mediation models tested whether recovery-positive peer affiliation at the 6-month follow-up mediated these effects.

resultsRelative to the comparison group at the 12-month follow-up, adolescents who attended an RHS were less likely to have alcohol use disorder (OR = 0.31) or a drug use disorder (OR = 0.42), reported fewer cannabis use days (IRR = 0.62), and had higher odds of abstinence (OR = 2.53) after adjusting for baseline levels. Recovery-positive peer affiliation mediated the beneficial effects of RHS attendance on meeting criteria for a drug use disorder, cannabis use frequency, and abstinence.

conclusionsThese findings provide robust evidence of the long-term beneficial effects of RHS attendance and indicate that some benefits result from improvements in recovery-positive peer affiliation. Improving access to youth-focused recovery supports that facilitate positive social network changes could help reduce relapse risk and sustain treatment effects.

Indexed as

Peer GroupSchoolsSubstance-Related DisordersAdolescentFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleTreatment OutcomeAdolescentsContinuing careMediationPeer affiliationRecovery schoolsRecovery supportsSocial processes

Identifiers

PMID42330591
PMCPMC13440340

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.