Daniel O’Brien

Biography:

Daniel is currently a PhD candidate in counselling psychology at the University of Calgary. He also holds an MSc in public health from the University of Alberta. His research interests include family therapy, substance use, child & youth mental health, harm reduction, and public health. Daniel’s current research involves exploring the experiences of young people in Alberta who have attended involuntary stabilization programs for substance use (i.e. the Protection of Children Using Drugs program).

Node Funded Project (Nov 2024)

Title: Exploring Youth Experiences with the Protection for Children Using Drugs (PChAD) Program in Alberta: A Qualitative Youth Engagement Project

Principal Investigator: Dan O’Brien (University of Calgary)

Co-investigators/collaborators:

Dr Tanya Mudry, Dr Rebecca Haines-Saah (University of Calgary)

Description: Alberta is the Protection for Children Using Drugs Program (PChAD) is a short-term involuntary intervention (10 days) that is meant to help underage youth (<18) become stabilized, detoxify from substances, and make plans for further voluntary services. The PChAD program was established in 2006. In 2009, a government of Alberta evaluation of PChAD showed that 56% of youth entered voluntary treatment afterwards, and about 23% had stopped using substances one-month post-discharge. The report suggested that for at least some youth, PChAD may benefit youth by increasing their motivation to seek voluntary treatment services. Yet, the experiences of youth receiving short-term secure care are notably absent from both government reports and academic literature, and the reasons why secure care may help some youth and not others are poorly understood. This is problematic, because exploring youth perspectives is critical to developing services that meet the unique needs of youth.

To address this knowledge gap, we will take a critical, qualitative approach, using data collected through individual interviews and focus groups to 1) explore how youth describe their experience with PChAD and the effect it had on their lives, 2) explore how youth experiences with PChAD may have been shaped by social interactions with parents/caregivers and PChAD staff, and 3) elicit youth perspectives on how PChAD and other voluntary substance use services in Alberta can be improved.