2 37 The effectiveness of Take it Personal! on substance use 1. Introduction Adolescents and young adults with mild intellectual disability [intelligence quotient (IQ) range = 50–69] or borderline intellectual functioning (IQ range = 70–85; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) are vulnerable to problems in different domains, such as mental, physical and socio-economic functioning (Didden et al., 2020; van Duijvenbode & VanDerNagel, 2019). They are also at higher risk for substance use disorders compared to their non-disabled peers (van Duijvenbode & VanDerNagel, 2019; Emerson et al., 2010). Similar to individuals without a mild intellectual disability, substance use is common among individuals with a mild intellectual disability1 and develops at a similar age (Taggart et al., 2006; van Duijvenbode et al., 2015; To et al., 2014). However, common consequences of substance use, such as difficulties in day-to-day functioning at school, work or home, appear to have more impact on individuals with mild intellectual disability than on their non-disabled individuals (Didden et al., 2020; van Duijvenbode & VanDerNagel, 2019). This is because substance use is often inter-related with other behavioral problems inherent to a mild intellectual disability (Didden et al., 2020; van Duijvenbode et al., 2015). Various risk factors, including impairment in cognitive and social skills, inhibition problems, deficits in coping skills and susceptibility to peer pressure account for the increased risk for substance use disorder in individuals with mild intellectual disability (Didden et al., 2020; van Duijvenbode et al., 2015). Clearly, there is a great need for effective programs for people with a mild intellectual disability that prevent the development of a substance use disorder (Didden et al., 2020; van Duijvenbode et al., 2015; Kiewik et al., 2017). Prevention programs for the general population are not suitable for the complex nature of substance use observed among individuals with mild intellectual disability. The support they receive from these regular programs is only minimal, because of their intellectual disabilities and problems with social adaptability (Didden et al., 2020; Kerr et al., 2013). Substance use prevention programs are often less accessible to individuals with mild intellectual disability and typically are poorly adapted to their cognitive level (Didden et al., 2020; van Duijvenbode et al., 2015; Kiewik et al., 2017; Kerr et al., 2013). Programs that have demonstrated effectiveness in individuals without intellectual disability need to be adapted to the needs and learning style of individuals with a mild intellectual disability (Conrod et al., 2013; Lammers et al., 2017; Mahu et al., 2015). Although a few prevention programs have been developed particularly 1 To avoid an excess of the lengthy term ‘mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning’, the target group is referred to as ‘mild intellectual disability’ throughout this chapter. This is done to improve readability, but please bear in mind that, formally speaking, those with borderline intellectual functioning are included throughout.
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