Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
Volume 37, Issue 3 , Pages 298-306, October 2009

Parental consent in adolescent substance abuse treatment outcome studies

  • Douglas C. Smith, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • University of Illinois, IL, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. School of Social Work, 1010 W. Nevada, M/C 082; Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Tel.: +1 217 333 5308; fax: +1 217 244 5220.
    • ,
  • Shamra Boel-Studt, B.S.

      Affiliations

    • University of Iowa, IA, USA
    • ,
  • Leah Cleeland, M.S.W.

      Affiliations

    • University of Illinois, IL, USA

Received 20 November 2008; received in revised form 6 February 2009; accepted 2 March 2009. published online 03 April 2009.

Abstract 

No systematic review has focused on parental consenting procedures used in adolescent substance abuse treatment outcomes research. To address this gap, we examined parental consenting procedures in adolescent outcome studies (n = 34) published between 1980 and 2007. Although parental consent was required in 89% of adolescent treatment outcome studies we reviewed, consenting procedures were not routinely reported. We argue that parental consenting procedures should be routinely reported as a methodological feature of adolescent treatment outcome studies and, given concerns about sample bias in adolescent risk behavior research when parental consent is required, encourage outcomes researchers in this area to prospectively study the impact of consenting procedures on both the study participation rates and substance use reporting.

Keywords: Parental consent, Drug abuse, Alcohol abuse, Clinical trials, Adolescents

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PII: S0740-5472(09)00033-6

doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2009.03.007

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
Volume 37, Issue 3 , Pages 298-306, October 2009

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