2. Design and Testing of an Aftercare Mobile App for Substance Use Among Young Adults: An Interdisicplinary Approach in Denmark

Individuals who receive treatment for substance use are at risk for relapsing upon leaving treatment. Aftercare interventions are useful in prolonging treatment gains. Mobile apps offer a possibility to continue treatment to some degree in a way that fits individuals’ daily lives. However, in order to maximize the potential use of mobile-based interventions, it is important to design tools that are user-friendly and culturally adapted to the target audience.

We employed an interdisciplinary approach, integrating relapse prevention models and a humancomputer interaction approach. We are meeting with young adults (n=30), ages 18-30 who are receiving outpatient treatment for substance use through various stages of app design and development. Research participants will inform on desired app features, and will evaluate the app in two field tests across acceptability and usability dimensions, and will provide feedback on the app in group interviews. The feedback from the interviews will be used to improve the app design.

The findings from this mixed-methods design consist of quantitative data on usability and acceptability of the mobile app, as well as behavioural data on data usage (e.g., frequency of use), and qualitative analyses from the interviews.

The findings from this interdisciplinary process allow us to inform other clinical researchers on key strategies to adapt digital interventions to specific audiences in order to increase the potential impact of the intervention.

The project is funded by Trygfonden, Helsefonden, and co-financed by the Center for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University