Substance – Use Screening Tool in the Adolescent Community Setting

PURPOSE: Protecting the mental health of adolescents is critical. The adolescent mental health crisis was ranked as the number one health concern for this population in 2020. Early screening of substance use can have a positive impact on youth mental health. The purpose of this project was to determine the efficacy of implementing a substance use screening tool at a local Boys & Girls Club on identifying high-risk substance use behaviors in the adolescent population and providing needed resource management.METHODS: The CRAFFT screening tool was selected for use at the community site. Two information sessions were held for parents of participants during after-school pick up hours. Program leaders chose 30% as their target threshold for screening the adolescent population within this community center. Screening was conducted in two large group sessions, with all positive screens receiving supportive resources. All data was collected by site staff and reported numerically without identifying information.RESULTS: 43 participants were successfully screened. Two screened positive and both received the provided substance use cessation resources. This was a screen rate of 28% for the community site. Parents endorsed support for this project and the CRAFFT screening tool received high praise from site staff.CONCLUSION: Overall, this project successfully achieved the goal of implementing a substance use identification screening tool into a community setting. Limitations and barriers to achieving the 30% adherence goal were identified and discussed. The tool proved simple, easy to use, and forged new conversations on substance use and abuse between participants and trusted staff members. The project proved to be a sustainable practice by endorsement of the site for continued use. This quality improvement project supports the inclusion of community settings as platforms for implementing more mental health focused screening and education.