1. Adolescents’ Perceptions of Sponsors in 12-Step Groups for Substance Abuse Lora L. Passetti Chestnut Health Systems, Normal, IL Sponsorship plays an important role in 12-step mutual support fellowships. Members in groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are encouraged to seek out an individual who has made progress in recovery to be a “sponsor.” A sponsor shares personal experiences and helps the “sponsee” to “work the program” between meetings (AA World Services, 1983). A small amount of research has been conducted on having a sponsor in AA and NA that focuses almost exclusively on adults. A few studies have identified a correlation between having a sponsor and positive outcomes on measures of substance use (Emrick et al., 1993; Johnson, Finney, & Moos, 2006; Morganstern et al., 1997; Witbrodt, & Kaskutas, 2005). Another study has found that having a sponsor is associated with a decreased likelihood to drop out of 12-step groups (Kelly & Moos, 2003). On the other hand, one study with adolescents did not find that substance use outcomes were significantly related to having a sponsor (Kelly & Myers, 1997). Little is known about adolescents’ perceptions of sponsors in 12-step groups. More research is needed in this area since adolescents are frequently referred to 12-step groups by substance abuse treatment programs (Drug Strategies 2003; Jainchill, 2000), and sponsors may play a key role in substance use outcomes. Furthermore, 12-step mutual support fellowships tend to be dominated by people over the age of 21, and it is unknown how this fact interacts with an adolescent’s ability to find a sponsor that is a good fit with them (Alcoholics Anonymous, 2005; Cocaine Anonymous World Services, 2006; Narcotics Anonymous World Services, 2005). This presentation aims to explore adolescents’ perceptions of: 1) the role of 12-step group sponsors; 2) reasons for wanting or not wanting a sponsor; 3) characteristics of chosen sponsors; and 4) reasons for no longer seeing a sponsor. Introduction Results continued Method continued Reasons for not wanting a sponsor: Not wanting help to deal with problems Not perceiving a severe substance use problem Already going to counseling Not comfortable asking for one “I don’t think sponsors help. I could do it all by myself without a sponsor. Sponsors are just there to be a mentor and all that, and I don’t really need a mentor.” Characteristics of Chosen Sponsors For those adolescents who had ever had a sponsor, most had obtained one as part of substance abuse treatment. Sponsors: Ranged in age from 19 to mid-40s; most were 30 to 40 y/o Length of sponsorship ranged from 1 to 6 months Most kept in daily contact Asked these individuals to be sponsors because: --Seemed like leaders at meetings --Had existing relationship with one or more family members --Volunteered at treatment program and were relatable “He came to a…it was like a AA meeting in the outpatient program for, like, anyone on the outside who wants to come in, too. I guess he goes there a lot and volunteers, and he related a lot to me. He seemed really cool.” Reasons For No Longer Seeing a Sponsor Relapse of the sponsor Relapse of the adolescent Could not relate For adolescents in this study, sponsors were perceived as mentors for working the program as well as someone to help during times of potential relapse that are always available; however, not every adolescent believed that a sponsor was necessary. When they did, adolescents tended to have sponsors that were older than them with relatively short lengths of contact due to relapse by the sponsor or the adolescent. Research supports that adolescents in treatment often do not perceive their substance use to be a severe problem and that they frequently drop out of 12-step groups (Kelly, Myers, & Brown, 2000; Kennedy & Minami, 1993; Tims et al., 2002). Furthermore, research indicates that some adolescents have trouble relating to older members of mutual help groups, which may present unique situations when young people attend meetings and try to identify a sponsor with whom they can relate (Passetti & Godley, 2007; Passetti & White, 2007). Given that many treatment programs refer adolescents to 12-step fellowships and encourage them to obtain sponsors, further research is needed into effective strategies to help adolescents choose and connect with appropriate sponsors. Available Upon Request Method Participants Qualitative data were collected from 20 adolescents in a mid-western residential substance abuse treatment program. All adolescents had a history of attending 12-step meetings for substance use problems. Participation in this study was voluntary and conducted under the supervision of Chestnut Health Systems’ Institutional Review Board. Table 1 contains a description of the sample’s demographic and clinical characteristics. Data Collection and Analysis Interview data were collected via open-ended questions as part of a larger project. Transcripts of the 20 adolescent interviews were analyzed by one of the authors. Responses to interview questions about sponsorship were examined in these analyses. Specifically, responses were grouped into the following sets: 1) the role of 12-step group sponsors; 2) reasons for wanting or not wanting a sponsor; 3) characteristics of chosen sponsors; and 4) reasons for no longer seeing a sponsor. Codes for themes within each set of responses were assigned. Data were then organized into a conceptually clustered matrix (Miles & Huberman 1984) using a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel. Table 1 Out of the 20 adolescents interviewed, slightly less than half had ever had a sponsor. Role of 12-step Group Sponsors Helping them to work the steps Providing guidance based on personal experience Giving honest feedback Helping identify signs of slipping Someone to bond with “And that’s basically what a sponsor’s job is--is to guide you through recovery... I’m probably not going to catch all my signs of slipping, whereas a sponsor is probably gonna look at it and see your signs of slipping and tell you about it in a way you’re gonna understand it…You feel comfortable, and you know you can trust him.” Reasons for Wanting/Not Wanting a Sponsor Reasons for wanting a sponsor: To have someone to call during times of potential relapse The ability to talk with someone who has “been there” and will not get them into trouble Availability any time of day Treatment emphasizes the importance of one “Because, you know, I’m just starting in recovery, and everybody needs somebody that have, like, 10 to 15 years sobriety to help you through the struggle that they been through. And there isn’t always a meeting to run to.” Results This presentation was supported by funding from NIDA 5 F31 DA17406-03 Opinions are those of the authors and do not represent official positions of the government. References Conclusions