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Expressive Writing for Co-Occurring Depression and Alcohol Misuse

Primary Purpose

Depression, Alcohol, Drinking

Status
Completed
Phase
Not Applicable
Locations
United States
Study Type
Interventional
Intervention
Expressive writing (in addition to group therapy as usual).
Sponsored by
Baylor College of Medicine
About
Eligibility
Locations
Arms
Outcomes
Full info

About this trial

This is an interventional treatment trial for Depression focused on measuring expressive writing, ruminating, ruminative thinking, experiential avoidance, depression, alcohol, drinking, emotional processing

Eligibility Criteria

18 Years - undefined (Adult, Older Adult)All SexesDoes not accept healthy volunteers

***Please note that this study does not offer comprehensive treatment program for alcohol abuse or depression. Please do not contact the study staff if you are seeking psychological treatment. Further, this study is only enrolling people who are clients at Career and Recovery Resources, Inc., in Houston.

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Enrolled in group therapy program at Career and Recovery Resources, Inc.
  • Must be at least 18.
  • Willing and able to participate in the study through the one month follow up.
  • Able to provide the contact information of at least two people who can generally locate their whereabouts.
  • Speak English fluently.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to read, write, speak English.
  • History of bipolar or psychotic disorders.
  • Severe medical, cognitive and /or psychiatric impairment that precludes cooperation with study protocol.
  • Substance withdrawal symptoms requiring medical attention.
  • Currently receiving other individual psychosocial therapy outside of C&R for substance abuse or other psychiatric conditions with the exception of AA, NA or CA.
  • Impending incarceration or other factor that would create inability or unwillingness to participate in the 6 week long study period (e.g., halfway house or other aftercare program restrictions).

Sites / Locations

  • Career and Recovery Resources, Inc.

Arms of the Study

Arm 1

Arm 2

Arm Type

Experimental

Active Comparator

Arm Label

Expressive Writing

Treatment as Usual

Arm Description

In addition to attending group therapy as usual, participants write about their feelings about an issue of their choosing three times during a two week period for at least 20 minutes each time.

Participants attend group therapy as usual only.

Outcomes

Primary Outcome Measures

Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition

Secondary Outcome Measures

Number of Alcoholic Drinks Consumed

Full Information

First Posted
January 6, 2009
Last Updated
January 26, 2015
Sponsor
Baylor College of Medicine
Collaborators
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
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1. Study Identification

Unique Protocol Identification Number
NCT00818636
Brief Title
Expressive Writing for Co-Occurring Depression and Alcohol Misuse
Official Title
Expressive Writing for Co-Occurring Depression and Alcohol Misuse
Study Type
Interventional

2. Study Status

Record Verification Date
January 2015
Overall Recruitment Status
Completed
Study Start Date
August 2008 (undefined)
Primary Completion Date
March 2010 (Actual)
Study Completion Date
December 2011 (Actual)

3. Sponsor/Collaborators

Responsible Party, by Official Title
Principal Investigator
Name of the Sponsor
Baylor College of Medicine
Collaborators
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

4. Oversight

Data Monitoring Committee
No

5. Study Description

Brief Summary
***Please note that this study does not offer comprehensive treatment program for alcohol abuse or depression. Please do not contact the study staff if you are seeking psychological treatment. Further, this study is only enrolling people who are clients at Career and Recovery Resources, Inc., in Houston. The hypothesis is that writing about feelings and thoughts will help people who are in group treatment feel less depressed and abuse alcohol less.
Detailed Description
Expressive writing applied to a variety of populations (e.g., HIV, cancer, PTSD, depression) has been associated with health improvements, reductions in symptoms of emotional distress, and one preliminary study found reductions in alcohol misuse among college students. Data suggest that expressive writing is a technique to facilitate emotional processing that can influence a number of clinical outcomes by facilitating cognitive restructuring (Hunt, 1998; Pennebaker, 2004). In addition to examining cognitive content change following expressive writing, we believe the effects of emotional writing on mood and drinking may involve two additional processes that have been found significant for both depression and alcohol misuse, namely experiential avoidance and ruminative thinking. We hypothesize that expressive writing will lead to less drinking and enhanced mood by reducing: (1) negative thought content, (2) experiential avoidance of unpleasant private events (e.g., negative thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations), and (3) ruminative thinking.

6. Conditions and Keywords

Primary Disease or Condition Being Studied in the Trial, or the Focus of the Study
Depression, Alcohol, Drinking
Keywords
expressive writing, ruminating, ruminative thinking, experiential avoidance, depression, alcohol, drinking, emotional processing

7. Study Design

Primary Purpose
Treatment
Study Phase
Not Applicable
Interventional Study Model
Parallel Assignment
Masking
None (Open Label)
Allocation
Randomized
Enrollment
89 (Actual)

8. Arms, Groups, and Interventions

Arm Title
Expressive Writing
Arm Type
Experimental
Arm Description
In addition to attending group therapy as usual, participants write about their feelings about an issue of their choosing three times during a two week period for at least 20 minutes each time.
Arm Title
Treatment as Usual
Arm Type
Active Comparator
Arm Description
Participants attend group therapy as usual only.
Intervention Type
Behavioral
Intervention Name(s)
Expressive writing (in addition to group therapy as usual).
Intervention Description
Participants in the expressive writing condition write about their feelings about an issue of their choosing three times, for at least 20 minutes each time, during a two week period.
Primary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition
Time Frame
Baseline, Post-writing (2 weeks post-baseline), and One Month Follow-Up (Six weeks post-baseline)
Secondary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
Number of Alcoholic Drinks Consumed
Time Frame
30 days pre-baseline compared to 30 days post-intervention

10. Eligibility

Sex
All
Minimum Age & Unit of Time
18 Years
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No
Eligibility Criteria
***Please note that this study does not offer comprehensive treatment program for alcohol abuse or depression. Please do not contact the study staff if you are seeking psychological treatment. Further, this study is only enrolling people who are clients at Career and Recovery Resources, Inc., in Houston. Inclusion Criteria: Enrolled in group therapy program at Career and Recovery Resources, Inc. Must be at least 18. Willing and able to participate in the study through the one month follow up. Able to provide the contact information of at least two people who can generally locate their whereabouts. Speak English fluently. Exclusion Criteria: Inability to read, write, speak English. History of bipolar or psychotic disorders. Severe medical, cognitive and /or psychiatric impairment that precludes cooperation with study protocol. Substance withdrawal symptoms requiring medical attention. Currently receiving other individual psychosocial therapy outside of C&R for substance abuse or other psychiatric conditions with the exception of AA, NA or CA. Impending incarceration or other factor that would create inability or unwillingness to participate in the 6 week long study period (e.g., halfway house or other aftercare program restrictions).
Overall Study Officials:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Carrie L Dodrill, Ph.D.
Organizational Affiliation
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston- ** This contact information should not be used for counseling or informational purposes**
Official's Role
Principal Investigator
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Angela L Stotts, Ph.D.
Organizational Affiliation
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston- ** This contact information should not be used for counseling or informational purposes**
Official's Role
Study Chair
Facility Information:
Facility Name
Career and Recovery Resources, Inc.
City
Houston
State/Province
Texas
ZIP/Postal Code
77004
Country
United States

12. IPD Sharing Statement

Citations:
PubMed Identifier
17073523
Citation
Frattaroli J. Experimental disclosure and its moderators: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull. 2006 Nov;132(6):823-65. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.823.
Results Reference
background
Links:
URL
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
Description
Please note that this study does not offer comprehensive treatment program for alcohol abuse or depression. Please do not contact the study staff if you are seeking psychological treatment. This study is only enrolling people at Career and Recovery.

Learn more about this trial

Expressive Writing for Co-Occurring Depression and Alcohol Misuse

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