Substance use peer workers (PWs) are essential frontline workers addressing the opioid epidemic, yet their effectiveness is impeded by high rates of occupational burnout and substance use relapse. To date, there are no interventions that prevent burnout and relapse due to occupational stress among PWs.
This project addresses this gap by being the first to adapt and test the acceptability and effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) for substance use PWs. The project will conduct in-depth qualitative interviews with 30 PWs, examining experiences of occupationally triggered substance use relapse and their perspectives on intervention characteristics. The project will then refine and field test the adapted MBRP intervention with 6-8 PWs, followed by a pilot randomized controlled trial with 80 PWs. The long-term goal of this project is to improve the retention and effectiveness of the peer workforce by reducing occupational burnout and substance use relapse.