Internet and computer based interventions for cannabis use: A meta-analysis

Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

Authors

Background: Worldwide, cannabis is the most prevalently used illegal drug and creates demand for prevention and treatment services that cannot be fulfilled using conventional approaches. Computer and Internet-based interventions may have the potential to meet this need. Therefore, we systematically reviewed the literature and conducted a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of this approach in reducing the frequency of cannabis use. Methods: We systematically searched online databases (Medline, PubMed, PsychINFO, Embase) for eligible studies and conducted a meta-analysis. Studies had to use a randomized design, be delivered either via the Internet or computer and report separate outcomes for cannabis use. The principal outcome measure was the frequency of cannabis use. Results: Data were extracted from 10 studies and the meta-analysis involved 10 comparisons with 4125 participants. The overall effect size was small but significant, g= 0.16 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.09-0.22, P<. 0.001) at post-treatment. Subgroup analyses did not reveal significant subgroup differences for key factors including type of analysis (intention-to-treat, completers only), type of control (active, waitlist), age group (11-16, 17+ years), gender composition (female only, mixed), type of intervention (prevention, 'treatment'), guided versus unguided programs, mode of delivery (Internet, computer), individual versus family dyad and venue (home, research setting). Also, no significant moderation effects were found for number of sessions and time to follow-up. Finally, there was no evidence of publication bias. Conclusions: Internet and computer interventions appear to be effective in reducing cannabis use in the short-term albeit based on data from few studies and across diverse samples.

Original languageEnglish
JournalDrug and Alcohol Dependence
Volume133
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)295-304
Number of pages10
ISSN0376-8716
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.12.2013

    Research areas

  • Cultural Informatics - Cannabis, Computer, Internet, Intervention, Meta-analysis, Prevention, Substance use, Systematic review
  • Cannabis, Computer, Internet, Intervention, Meta-analysis, Prevention, Substance use, Systematic review

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Development of a scoring parameter to characterize data quality of centroids in high-resolution mass spectra
  2. Topic selection and development in learner-native speaker voice-based telecollaborative discourse
  3. Conjunctive cohesion in English language EU documents - A corpus-based analysis and its implications
  4. E-stability and stability of adaptive learning in models with private information
  5. Restoring Causal Analysis to Structural Equation ModelingReview of Causality: Models, Reasoning, and Inference (2nd Edition), by Judea Pearl
  6. A Study on the Performance of Adaptive Neural Networks for Haze Reduction with a Focus on Precision
  7. Student Behavior in Error-Correction-Tasks and its Relation to Perception of Competence
  8. Effects of diversity versus segregation on automatic approach and avoidance behavior towards own and other ethnic groups
  9. DISKNET – A Platform for the Systematic Accumulation of Knowledge in IS Research
  10. IT Governance in Scaling Agile Frameworks
  11. Different facets of tree sapling diversity influence browsing intensity by deer dependent on spatial scale
  12. Challenge-oriented policy making and innovation systems theory: reconsidering systemic instruments
  13. Differentiating forest types using TerraSAR–X spotlight images based on inferential statistics and multivariate analysis
  14. Understanding the error-structure of Time-driven Activity-based Costing
  15. Integration of laboratory experiments into introductory electrical engineering courses
  16. Hill–Chao numbers allow decomposing gamma multifunctionality into alpha and beta components
  17. The interplay between posture control and memory for spatial locations
  18. Do Specific Text Features Influence Click Probabilities in Paid Search Advertising?
  19. Interactive Media as Fields of Transduction
  20. Plant density modifies root system architecture in spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) through a change in nodal root number
  21. Development of an Active Aging Index for the Organizational Level
  22. Applying the Three Horizons approach in local and regional scenarios to support policy coherence in SDG implementation
  23. Digital twin support for laser-based assembly assistance
  24. "Doing" Sustainability Assessment in Different Consumption and Production Contexts-Lessons from Case Study Comparison
  25. Performance of process-based models for simulation of grain N in crop rotations across Europe
  26. Grazing effects on intraspecific trait variability vary with changing precipitation patterns in Mongolian rangelands
  27. A piezo servo hydraulic actuator for use in camless combustion engines and its control with MPC
  28. Baseflow recession and recharge as nonlinear storage processes
  29. Control of a two-thermoelectric-cooler system for ice-clamping application using Lyapunov based approach
  30. Second-order SMC with disturbance compensation for robust tracking control in PMSM applications
  31. Late developers and the inequity of "equitable utilization" and the harm of "do no harm"