A Systematic Review of Recovery High Schools and Collegiate Recovery Programs for Building Recovery Capital among Adolescents and Emerging Adults

Emily A. Hennessy ^1,2* Shane S. George ¹ Morgan R. Klein ¹ Jenny B. O'Connor ¹ David Eddie ^1,2 John F. Kelly ^1,2

• ¹ Massachusetts General Hospital, Recovery Research Institute (RRI), Boston, United States
• ² Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

We identified 37 manuscripts representing 25 unique studies focused on RHS (K=7: N=14,209) or CRPs (K=18: N=2,795). In the RHS studies, participants were predominantly White (41%) and females represented 29% of the sample. No studies met the criteria for low risk of bias. In the CRP studies, participants were predominately white (89%) and had slightly less female than male participants (45%). 11 of the 16 studies that did not use cost-benefit analysis were rated as high risk of bias. The quality rating of the two studies using cost-benefit designs indicated that both studies had fairly rigorous approaches.This research base suggests that students who participate in RHSs and CRPs may demonstrate reductions in AOD use, and improvements in social and academic outcomes, although given the existing research designs, statements about the incremental public health utility of investing in these programs relative to other approaches of equal intensity or duration cannot be made with confidence.