Sexual health and relapse prevention for adults with substance abuse: Evaluation of a manualized intervention and continuous education of staff

Facts

Contact person:: Marie Karlsson
Financer:: Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ Flexit)
Responsible at MaU:: Marie Karlsson
Project members at MaU:: Marie Karlsson

and Torkel Richert
External project members:: Socialtjänsten Piteå kommun
Collaborators :: Socialtjänsten Piteå kommun
Time frame:: 01 January 2025 - 31 December 2027
Faculty/department:: Faculty of Health and Society

Department of Social Work
Research environment :: Centre for Sexology and Sexuality Studies

Perspectives on Social Health – POSH
Research subject:: Health and Society Studies

Social Work

Applied psychology
Website:: Projektsida på Riksbankens Jubileumsfond

Project desctiption

In the Public Health Agency of Sweden's (2020, 2023) national strategy and action plan on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), social services are identified as an especially important actor. Social services in Piteå municipality have identified the need to include sexual health in their substance abuse services (Bergman & Fjällström, 2022).

Unaddressed sexual health problems increase the risk for substance abuse relapse (Rawson, et al., 2002). Despite this, SRHR is not included in any of the substance abuse treatments recommended by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (2019). Current collaboration between Piteå municipality and a researcher at the Center for Sexology and Sexuality Studies, Malmö University, allows for the development of social services' working methods and expertise in SRHR. As a pilot study, a manualized intervention designed to improve sexual health and prevent substance abuse relapse has been implemented at a substance abuse clinic for adults in Piteå.

The current project will evaluate the final version of the intervention using surveys and interviews. The knowledge exchange between social services in Piteå and Malmö University will also generate materials for SRHR training. Initially, the training will be offered to professionals working with substance abuse within the social services in Norrbotten. This project will demonstrate how social services can work with SRHR related questions within their substance abuse mission.