Whiteriver

This research aims to evaluate the Bright Horizons program, a culturally adapted intervention developed with the White Mountain Apache Tribe and Johns Hopkins University, to reduce binge substance use among adolescents aged 10 to 24. The study focuses on adolescents who have recently experienced a binge substance use event and seeks to understand how this intervention impacts their substance use, emotional regulation, coping, and social relationships. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group receives a single 2-4 hour session of the Bright Horizons intervention delivered by Research Program Assistants, which includes teaching emotion regulation, coping skills, problem solving, and goal setting to reduce substance use. The control group receives standard case management through the White Mountain Apache suicide and self-harm surveillance system. Control participants will receive the Bright Horizons intervention after all intervention participants have completed enrollment. Participants will complete assessments at enrollment, 4 weeks later, and 8 weeks after that. These evaluations include questions about alcohol and other substance use, coping with stress, impulsivity, family functioning, peer relationships, and cultural identity. The primary outcome measured is change in alcohol use, with additional outcomes assessing emotional, behavioral, and social factors. The study is sponsored by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and runs until January 2027.