Study Director: Sarah Forthal, PhD, MPH, is Director of Population Research at Partnership to End Addiction. Her research focuses on the social factors that shape substance use and mental health outcomes, and on the design, implementation, and evaluation of digital, community, and social capital-focused interventions.

I-STARR Mentors: Co-I Leonard A. Jason, PhD, mPI Amy Mericle, PhD

Pilot Study: This study will evaluate the feasibility of implementing and evaluating a text message support program for concerned significant others (i.e., families, partners, and friends; CSOs) of recovery home residents receiving MOUD. The program aims to help CSOs better support their loved ones in recovery and, in turn, strengthen residents’ recovery capital, a key determinant of sustained recovery.

Approach: The study will enroll 15 resident-CSO pairs and 5 recovery home managers (35 total) from Pennsylvania recovery homes. CSOs will receive the text message program, while residents, CSOs, and managers will separately complete surveys and/or semi-structured interviews evaluating program acceptability, enrollment, and engagement. Program content and delivery will be refined based on survey and interview findings. 

Innovations: This study evaluates the feasibility of an intervention that could facilitate MOUD adherence but has never been implemented or empirically tested in recovery housing. The program extends recovery capital in recovery homes beyond traditional peer support by mobilizing CSOs as active contributors to residents’ recovery. The study will generate preliminary data on how CSO engagement functions in recovery housing contexts, informing a future trial and laying the groundwork for broader research in this area.