Developing a community-supported risk reduction intervention for syringe exchange registrants and their drug-free family or friends: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: People engaged in injection opioid use often have drug-free family or friends that could be mobilized to support risk reduction and treatment seeking. OBJECTIVE: This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 6-week community-supported risk reduction group intervention for syringe exchange program (SEP) registrants and drug-free network members. METHOD: The group provided risk reduction and treatment readiness education, with weekly assignments for participants to engage together in community activities designed to meet other drug-free people. RESULTS: Thirty-nine SEP registrants (and 39 community supports) enrolled in the study, and 21 pairs attended at least one group. For this smaller sample, participants attended 67% of scheduled sessions and engaged in scheduled activities during 42% of the study weeks, with 48% of SEP participants (n = 10) choosing to enter substance use disorder treatment. SEP participants who entered treatment reported reduced rates of injection drug use, opioid use, and cocaine use. CONCLUSIONS: While this intervention shows promise for linking syringe exchange and substance use disorder treatment participation in select SEP registrants, outcomes demonstrating low demand and modest acceptability suggest that additional research is necessary to understand barriers to participation and motivate higher levels of engagement.