Young people in treatment for substance abuse

In connection with the “Substance-abuse treatment of young people under the age of 18 years" project by the National Board of Social Services, the Danish National Centre for Social Research has evaluated three treatment models. These are “U-turn” (developed in Copenhagen), “U18” (developed in Aarhus) and “Multi Systemic Therapy - Substance Abuse” (developed in the US). The three models do not merely work with substance abuse but also other aspects of the lives of young people. The purpose of the evaluation was to examine the effect of the models, partly on the substance use by young people, and partly on young people's attachment to school, social relationships, psychological wellbeing and crime. The majority of participants in the three programmes are boys, with only one-third girls. Just under 90 percent of the participants specify hash as their primary drug. The three treatment models were tested and evaluated in six municipalities between 2011 and 2014. The evaluation was commissioned and financed by the National Board of Social Services.