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Abstract

There is evidence that for individuals with a history of problematic substance use (PSU), employment and career development are areas that can be negatively impacted by PSU (Eddie et al., 2020; Laudet & Hill, 2015; Magura & Marshall, 2020). Conversely, positive work experiences appear important to successful recovery (Best et al., 2010; Laudet & White, 2010; Veseth et al., 2022). Studies suggest that career interventions could support individuals returning to work after treatment (Magura & Marshall, 2020), but little research has compared the effectiveness of different career interventions for this population (M. Kim et al., 2022; Magura & Marshall, 2020). This dissertation assessed the effectiveness of two eight-session career counselling group programs for individuals with a history of PSU: one based on Hope-Action Theory (HAT; Amundson et al., 2020), and a treatment-as-usual (TAU) comparison program, Standard Employment Skills (SES). Participants from British Columbia and Alberta, Canada were randomly assigned to either HAT or SES and completed employment- and career-related assessments before (N = 162) and after the programs (N = 86). Hierarchical logistic regression, mixed-effects repeated measures ANOVA and MANOVA, and the non-parametric Friedman test were used to assess group differences. Compared to SES, HAT participants had statistically significant greater odds of starting educational or vocational programs (OR = 0.26; small effect) and greater improvements in job search clarity (ηp2 = 0.06; small effect), work engagement (ηp2 = 0.12; small effect), career optimism (ηp2 = 0.05; small effect), and career hope (W = 0.27; medium effect). Across both programs, participants showed significant improvements in job search clarity, work engagement, career adaptability, career optimism, career hope, and hope-action competencies. No changes were observed in employment status or employment-seeking behaviours, job satisfaction, task performance, or turnover intention for participants across both programs. These results suggest that for individuals with a history of PSU, hope-based career interventions may improve odds of starting educational programs and some career-related cognitions at greater rates than standard employment skills interventions in the short-term.