Exploration of Effective Substance Use Relapse Prevention Programmes for the Youth: An Integrative Literature Review.

The review searched only English-language publications, so relevant studies in other languages may have been missed. Some relevant publications may not have been indexed in the chosen databases, and the large number of search results could have introduced selection bias. Three grey literature sources were included, and they were not peer-reviewed. Studies were not excluded based on methodological quality, so lower-quality evidence could influence the themes. Most included studies were from the USA, and the review notes limited empirical evidence for youth substance use relapse prevention in Africa. The review did not combine results statistically or compare programmes directly, so it cannot say which intervention is most effective. The included studies used different age ranges and settings, so the findings may not apply consistently to all young people. Some included programmes combined several supports, such as counselling, case management, family therapy, medical reviews and mentoring, so the review cannot separate the contribution of one component.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The work was funded by North-West University Faculty of Health Sciences.

Do not treat the listed components as proven relapse prevention. The review reports themes from diverse studies and grey literature, notes limited empirical evidence in Africa, and says most conclusions focus on American situations.