[Development and evaluation of a relapse prevention tool for drug-abusing delinquents incarcerated in a juvenile classification home: a self-teaching workbook for adolescents, the "SMARPP-Jr].

Aims: The purpose of the present study is to develop a relapse prevention tool for drug-abusing delinquents incarcerated in a juvenile classification home, and to evaluate effectiveness of the tool.

Methods: We prepared a self-teaching workbook for drug-abusing adolescents named "SMARPP-Jr." referring to the workbook used in the "SMARPP (Serigaya Methamphetamine Relapse Prevention Program)", and consulted about the contents of the workbook to the director, the medical doctor, and the psychologists of a juvenile classification home. After establishing the final version, we provided 59 drug-abusing delinquents incarcerated in the juvenile classification home with a relapse prevention program by this workbook, and conducted pre- and post-evaluations by the Self-efficacy Scale for Drug Dependence and the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES).

Results: The scores of SOCRATES were remarkably elevated after finishing the self-teaching workbook, while those of the Self-efficacy Scale for Drug Dependence were hardly changed. Additionally, over 60% of the participants reported that the contents of the workbook were not difficult to be understood, and approximately 90% of them also answered that this workbook was useful.

Conclusion: The findings of the present study suggest that intervention in drug-abusing delinquents incarcerated in a juvenile classification home using the self-teaching workbook "SMARPP-Jr." may be effective to obtain insights of their drug-abuse problems and to become aware of necessity of treatment for their drug abuse.