Study Protocol

Characteristics of Effective Vocational Rehabilitation Interventions for Persons With Substance Use Disorders: An Overview Protocol

Vocational Rehabilitation Interventions

Abstract

Individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) experience above-general-population levels of unemployment. Vocational rehabilitation (VR) is a central component of integrated SUD treatment, but the nature of effective interventions is not well synthesized. This overview tries to synthesize systematic review evidence regarding the nature of effective VR interventions in individuals with SUDs in all stages of recovery. We will conduct systematic searches in Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EBSCOhost, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and PubMed for English-language peer-reviewed literature systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and literature reviews between 2018 and 2025. The timeframe was selected to identify the newest developments in combined VR and SUD treatment. Search strategy, created following PRESS guidelines, will be done using MeSH terms and keywords in SUDs and VR. Study selection will follow PRISMA, with screening and deduplication in Covidence and EndNote. Overlap between the primary studies will be established via citation matrices and the corrected covered area (CCA) approach. Methodology quality in the included reviews will be measured using AMSTAR-2 and certainty of the scoping evidence via PRISMA-ScR. The primary outcome will be the determination of the key characteristics (e.g., components, delivery modalities) of effective VR interventions. This review will synthesize and consolidate key effective practices in terms of intervention components (e.g., skill-building workshops, psychological support, and contingency management) and delivery formats (e.g., in-person, telehealth, integrated care models). By building this overall framework, the findings will guide practitioners directly as to how to develop evidence-based VR programs and instruct policymakers as to how to allocate funds to the most effective VR models. The summary will also highlight important evidence gaps and recommend areas of future research to improve employment outcomes and support long-term recovery for individuals with SUDs.

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IssueArticles in Press: Vol 64 No 02 (2026) QRcode
SectionStudy Protocol
Keywords
vocational rehabilitation intervention substance use disorder overview protocol
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How to Cite
1.
Doostian Y, Asgari Z, Naghavi A. Characteristics of Effective Vocational Rehabilitation Interventions for Persons With Substance Use Disorders: An Overview Protocol. Acta Med Iran. 2026;64(02).