TY - JOUR
T1 - Strength-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Reducing Concurrent Drug Misuse and Anxiety and Depression
T2 - A Randomized Controlled Trial
AU - Dai, Xiaolu
AU - Wong, Daniel Fu Keung
AU - Cheung, Yves Cho Ho
AU - Zhuang, Xiaoyu
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025
Funding Information:
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was funded by the Beat Drugs Fund.
PY - 2025/10/31
Y1 - 2025/10/31
N2 - Purpose: This study examines the impact of Strength-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (SBCBT) on high-risk youth with substance misuse, anxiety, and depression, who often show limited responses to traditional interventions. Method: Ninety-one Chinese youth in Hong Kong were randomly assigned to either an SBCBT intervention group or a treatment-as-usual control group. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, with t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA employed to assess intervention effectiveness. Results: Compared with the control group, the SBCBT group showed positive changes in resilience (F = 7.24, p = .009), beliefs and attitudes towards drug misuse (F = 4.82, p = .031), and drug-avoiding self-efficacy (F = 10.83, p = .001), alongside reduced depressive (F = 14.16, p < .001) and anxiety symptoms (F = 7.61, p = .007) post-intervention. Discussion: SBCBT appears to promote significant changes in both mental health and drug-related outcomes among young people at high risk.
AB - Purpose: This study examines the impact of Strength-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (SBCBT) on high-risk youth with substance misuse, anxiety, and depression, who often show limited responses to traditional interventions. Method: Ninety-one Chinese youth in Hong Kong were randomly assigned to either an SBCBT intervention group or a treatment-as-usual control group. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, with t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA employed to assess intervention effectiveness. Results: Compared with the control group, the SBCBT group showed positive changes in resilience (F = 7.24, p = .009), beliefs and attitudes towards drug misuse (F = 4.82, p = .031), and drug-avoiding self-efficacy (F = 10.83, p = .001), alongside reduced depressive (F = 14.16, p < .001) and anxiety symptoms (F = 7.61, p = .007) post-intervention. Discussion: SBCBT appears to promote significant changes in both mental health and drug-related outcomes among young people at high risk.
KW - drug misuse
KW - mental health disorder
KW - dual diagnosis
KW - cognitive-behavioral therapy
KW - randomized control trial
KW - Chinese youth
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105020435582
U2 - 10.1177/10497315251381230
DO - 10.1177/10497315251381230
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:105020435582
SN - 1049-7315
SP - 1
EP - 12
JO - Research on Social Work Practice
JF - Research on Social Work Practice
ER -
