Factors Influencing the Utilization of Occupational Therapy Services among Adolescents with Substance Use Disorder in Western Uganda

Background Substance use remains high among adolescents in Uganda. The use of occupational therapy services has been found to restore cognitive function among individuals with substance use disorder, with limited data in Uganda. Objective: This study assessed the uptake of occupational therapy services and factors associated with the utilization of occupational therapy among adolescents with substance use disorder. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using consecutive sampling to select 106 adolescents. Data were analyzed using SPSS, reporting descriptive statistics and influencing factors utilizing linear regression. Results: Overall awareness and utilization of occupational therapy services were 54.7% and 67%, respectively. However, the variables of age (aPR=0.48, 95% CI=0.32-1.70), religion (aPR=0.54, 95% CI=0.63-2.52), education (aPR=0.31, 95% CI=0.74-2.63), and occupation (aPR=0.86, 95% CI=0.43-2.78) did not show a statistically significant association with the utilization of these services at the multivariate level. Conclusion: The overall awareness and uptake of occupational services among adolescents remain suboptimal. For occupational therapy to effectively address substance use disorder in adolescents, it's crucial to define and deliver innovative services tailored to their needs proactively. Further research should focus on conducting qualitative studies to explore the barriers and facilitators that adolescents encounter in accessing occupational therapy services.