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Three Months of Text4Hope-Addiction Support Program mitigates substance craving and improves mental health.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2023

G. Obuobi-Donkor ,
R. Shalaby ,
W. Vuong ,
B. Agyapong ,
A. Gusnowski ,
S. Surood  and
V. I. O. Agyapong
G. Obuobi-Donkor*
Affiliation:
1Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax
R. Shalaby
Affiliation:
2Psychiatry, University of Alberta
W. Vuong
Affiliation:
3Psychiatry, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Canada
B. Agyapong
Affiliation:
2Psychiatry, University of Alberta
A. Gusnowski
Affiliation:
3Psychiatry, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Canada
S. Surood
Affiliation:
3Psychiatry, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Canada
V. I. O. Agyapong
Affiliation:
1Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Problematic substance use is rising, and other mental health conditions like anxiety and depression correlate with substance abuse. Diverse interventions to reduce this effect are emerging. Supportive text messages offer the prospect of improving symptoms of drug misuse and other associated comorbidities.

Objectives

The study aims to evaluate the impact of the Text4Hope-Addiction program in mitigating craving, anxiety, and depression symptoms in subscribers.

Methods

Individuals self-subscribe to Text4Hope Addiction program by texting “Open2Change” to 393939 to receive daily addiction-related text messages for three months. Subscribers are invited via text message to complete online questionnaires which assess cravings, anxiety, and depressive symptoms using the Brief Substance Craving Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 on subscription (baseline), six weeks and three months. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25 with descriptive and inferential statistics. Satisfaction responses were used to assess various aspects of the Text4Hope- Addiction program.

Results

There was a significant difference in the mean baseline and three-month BSCS scores ( -2.17, 95% CI of -0.62 to -3.72), PHQ-9 scores (-5.08, 95% CI of -1.65 to -8.51), and the GAD-7 scores (-2.93, 95% CI of -0.48 to -5.56). Participants agreed that the supportive text messages helped them cope with addiction-related stress (89%), anxiety (81%) and depression (69%).

Conclusions

The Text4Hope-Addiction program effectively reduced cravings, anxiety, and depression among subscribers, with high satisfaction rates for the program. Healthcare practitioners and policymakers should consider implementing supportive text-based strategies to complement conventional treatments for addiction.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 66 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 31st European Congress of Psychiatry , March 2023 , pp. S162 - S163
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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