Influence Maximization for Social Network Based Substance Abuse Prevention

Aida Rahmattalabi, Anamika Barman-Adhikari, Phebe Vayanos, Milind Tambe, Eric Rice, Robin Baker

Abstract: Substance use and abuse is a significant public health problem in the United States. Group-based intervention programs offer a promising means of reducing substance abuse. While effective, inappropriate intervention groups can result in an increase in deviant behaviors among participants, a process known as deviancy training. In this paper, we present GUIDE, an AI-based decision aid that leverages social network information to optimize the structure of the intervention groups.