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Washington State Institute for Public Policy
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Teen Intervene

Substance Use Disorders: Early Intervention
Benefit-cost methods last updated December 2024.  Literature review updated June 2016.
Teen Intervene is a brief motivational intervention for students using alcohol or drugs. School counselors identify youth suspected of using alcohol or drugs. Youth are then screened for substance abuse. Those meeting eligibility receive two 60-minute motivational interviews 7 to 10 days apart. In some of the studies included here the counselor also met separately with the parent, typically in the home.
 
ALL
BENEFIT-COST
META-ANALYSIS
CITATIONS
For an overview of WSIPP's Benefit-Cost Model, please see this guide. The estimates shown are present value, life cycle benefits and costs. All dollars are expressed in the base year chosen for this analysis (2023).  The chance the benefits exceed the costs are derived from a Monte Carlo risk analysis. The details on this, as well as the economic discount rates and other relevant parameters are described in our Technical Documentation.
Benefit-Cost Summary Statistics Per Participant
Benefits to:
Taxpayers $1,345 Benefits minus costs $3,883
Participants $2,883 Benefit to cost ratio $9.26
Others $237 Chance the program will produce
Indirect ($111) benefits greater than the costs 60%
Total benefits $4,354
Net program cost ($470)
Benefits minus cost $3,883

^WSIPP’s benefit-cost model does not monetize this outcome.

Meta-analysis is a statistical method to combine the results from separate studies on a program, policy, or topic to estimate its effect on an outcome. WSIPP systematically evaluates all credible evaluations we can locate on each topic. The outcomes measured are the program impacts measured in the research literature (for example, impacts on crime or educational attainment). Treatment N represents the total number of individuals or units in the treatment group across the included studies.

An effect size (ES) is a standard metric that summarizes the degree to which a program or policy affects a measured outcome. If the effect size is positive, the outcome increases. If the effect size is negative, the outcome decreases. See Estimating Program Effects Using Effect Sizes for additional information on how we estimate effect sizes.

The effect size may be adjusted from the unadjusted effect size estimated in the meta-analysis. Historically, WSIPP adjusted effect sizes to some programs based on the methodological characteristics of the study. For programs reviewed in 2024 or later, we do not make additional adjustments, and we use the unadjusted effect size whenever we run a benefit-cost analysis.

Research shows the magnitude of effects may change over time. For those effect sizes, we estimate outcome-based adjustments, which we apply between the first time ES is estimated and the second time ES is estimated. More details about these adjustments can be found in our Technical Documentation.

Meta-Analysis of Program Effects
Outcomes measured Treatment age No. of effect sizes Treatment N Effect sizes (ES) and standard errors (SE) used in the benefit-cost analysis Unadjusted effect size (random effects model)
First time ES is estimated Second time ES is estimated
ES SE Age ES SE Age ES p-value
Cannabis use before end of high school
Any use of cannabis by the end of high school, typically between ages 14 and 18.
16 2 259 -0.292 0.183 17 -0.040 0.274 18 -0.292 0.109
Substance use disorder^
A non-specified alcohol or drug use disorder. Typically, a collection of different types of disorders reported by study authors. 
 16 2 52 -0.759 0.265 17 n/a n/a n/a -0.759 0.004
Problem alcohol use
Alcohol use reflecting problem behaviors (e.g., high frequency drinking, binge drinking, or drinking that has a high impact on daily life) for individuals who do not have an alcohol use disorder.
 16 4 311 -0.844 0.172 17 -0.116 0.258 19 -0.844 0.001
1In addition to the outcomes measured in the meta-analysis table, WSIPP measures benefits and costs estimated from other outcomes associated with those reported in the evaluation literature. For example, empirical research demonstrates that high school graduation leads to reduced crime. These associated measures provide a more complete picture of the detailed costs and benefits of the program.

2“Others” includes benefits to people other than taxpayers and participants. Depending on the program, it could include reductions in crime victimization, the economic benefits from a more educated workforce, and the benefits from employer-paid health insurance.

3“Indirect benefits” includes estimates of the net changes in the value of a statistical life and net changes in the deadweight costs of taxation.
Detailed Monetary Benefit Estimates Per Participant
Affected outcome: Resulting benefits:1 Benefits accrue to:
Taxpayers Participants Others2 Indirect3 Total
Problem alcohol use Labor market earnings associated with problem alcohol use $1,211 $2,853 $0 $0 $4,064
Property loss associated with problem alcohol use $0 $8 $14 $0 $22
Health care associated with problem alcohol use $78 $14 $86 $39 $218
Mortality associated with problem alcohol $4 $9 $0 $60 $72
Cannabis use before end of high school Criminal justice system $51 $0 $136 $26 $213
Program cost Adjustment for deadweight cost of program $0 $0 $0 ($235) ($235)
Totals $1,345 $2,883 $237 ($111) $4,354
Click here to see populations selected
Detailed Annual Cost Estimates Per Participant
Annual cost Year dollars Summary
Program costs $379 2014 Present value of net program costs (in 2023 dollars) ($470)
Comparison costs $0 2014 Cost range (+ or -) 10%
Per-participant cost was estimated by multiplying the therapist time for two interviews times the rates for family therapy based on actuarial tables reported for non- disabled adults in Mercer (2013) Behavioral Health Data Book for the State of Washington For Rates Effective January 1, 2014. Half of the families in the studies also received a parent visit with the therapist. Family visits were estimated assuming therapist visits last 1 hour 30 minutes. Additional costs were added to account for screening, assuming 15 minutes of therapist time to screen students and that 70% of those screened are eligible for the intervention (personal communication with Ken Winters, Univ. of Minnesota, May 26, 2016.)
The figures shown are estimates of the costs to implement programs in Washington. The comparison group costs reflect either no treatment or treatment as usual, depending on how effect sizes were calculated in the meta-analysis. The cost range reported above reflects potential variation or uncertainty in the cost estimate; more detail can be found in our Technical Documentation.
Benefits Minus Costs
Benefits by Perspective
Taxpayer Benefits by Source of Value
Benefits Minus Costs Over Time (Cumulative Discounted Dollars)
The graph above illustrates the estimated cumulative net benefits per-participant for the first fifty years beyond the initial investment in the program. We present these cash flows in discounted dollars. If the dollars are negative (bars below $0 line), the cumulative benefits do not outweigh the cost of the program up to that point in time. The program breaks even when the dollars reach $0. At this point, the total benefits to participants, taxpayers, and others, are equal to the cost of the program. If the dollars are above $0, the benefits of the program exceed the initial investment.

Citations Used in the Meta-Analysis

Winters, K. C., & Leitten, W. (2007). Brief intervention for drug-abusing adolescents in a school setting. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors: Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 21(2), 249-54.

Winters, K.C., Fahnhorst, T., Botzet, A., Lee, S., & Lalone, B. (2012). Brief intervention for drug-abusing adolescents in a school setting: Outcomes and mediating factors. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 42(3), 279-288.