TUBA

Effects of Long Waiting Lists on Psychological Help-Seekers (joint with Søren Albeck Nielsen, Morten Hesse, Marianne Simonsen, and Kristine Rømer Thomsen)

Funded by TrygFonden, Det Obelske FamilieFond, Lundbeck Fonden, and Novo Nordisk Fonden, 2018-2023

Project description

In Denmark, alcohol and drug abuse problems are widespread issues and, as a consequence, a large number of individuals are growing up or have grown up in families in which such problems exist or existed. For instance, an estimated 632,000 people are growing up or have grown up in families with alcohol problems (Kristiansen et al., 2008), with serious consequences for their present and future lives. Unfortunately, there is still little robust evidence showing the causal impact of interventions designed to help individuals growing up or who have grown up in an environment characterized by a substance abuse problem.

The objectives of this project are manifold: 1) to measure the impact of a therapy-based intervention targeting individuals who have grown up in such an environment and are seeking help; 2) to document the indirect effects that such an intervention may have on the family members of the recipients; and 3) to investigate the potentially harmful consequences of the long waiting time that individuals often face (as is the case in Denmark) before they can begin such an intervention.

We measure the impact of being offered TUBA’s counselling intervention on participants’ psychological health using data collected 12 months after randomization. We measure the impact of having to wait for a year before being able to start TUBA’s counselling intervention (compared with immediate start-up) using data collected two to three years after control participants were offered to start the intervention.

Preliminary results can be found in this brief.