Active clinical trials for "Substance-Related Disorders"

This exploratory study aims to design and test an HIV prevention intervention for young men who have sex with men (MSM) between the ages of 16-20 as this group comprises the US adolescent population most at-risk for HIV infection through sexual contact. To help develop the content and format of our intervention we will first conduct in-depth interviews with twenty-one 18 to 24 year-old young MSM who acquired HIV through male-to-male sexual contact between ages 16-20 (i.e., the target age of our intended intervention). We will then design a group-based primary intervention for young MSM between ages 16-20, relying on the information we gathered from these interviews, as well as consultation from an advisory board of young MSM and HIV prevention experts. Last, we will use an experimental design to compare our intervention to a control condition. We hypothesize that, relative to a control condition of sexual health education and risk reduction, participants in our intervention will demonstrate lower rates of HIV risk behavior, find participation more feasible, and endorse greater acceptability of our intervention.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) bear a disproportionate burden of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic in Canada, and HIV incidence appears to be rising among Canadian MSM (1). MSM comprised nearly half (44.1%) of new positive HIV tests in 2009 (2). Among MSM in Ontario, from 2001 to 2006, HIV diagnoses increased 26% (3). Given the alarmingly high HIV prevalence rates among MSM in North American cities, there is a critical need for HIV prevention interventions for MSM in Canada. Social anxiety, or anxiety about being evaluated in interpersonal situations, is a reliable risk factor for unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) among MSM (4 and 5). Social anxiety is highly modifiable via cognitive-behavioural therapy, a form of psychotherapy (6). Social anxiety may also increase substance use in sexual situations, which is another risk factor for HIV among MSM (7 and 8). As such, an empirically-based social anxiety treatment may also reduce HIV risk behaviours among MSM. The present study will provide Phase I trial data for a novel and innovative HIV prevention intervention for MSM. This is a proposal to test a novel integrated HIV prevention intervention that combines empirically supported treatments for social anxiety with HIV risk reduction counseling to reduce HIV sexual risk behaviour.

The proposed study is a three-armed randomized clinical trial. A total of 750 clients will be randomly assigned (using a random number table) to the interviewer-administered intervention, the self-administered intervention, and waitlist control conditions upon completion of screening, informed consent, HIV pretest counseling and test administration, and collection of baseline risk behavior data. Outcomes will be measured at 3, 6 and 12 months.

The investigators are testing the efficacy of a family-based preventive intervention, which began when the children were age 2, with children at risk for developing significant conduct problems. Families who were originally recruited from Women, Infants and Children (WIC) were randomly assigned to a family-centered intervention developed by Dishion and colleagues (Dishion & Kavanagh, 2003; Dishion & Stormshak, 2006) referred to as an 'ecological approach to family intervention and treatment' (EcoFIT). The current study expands the Early Steps intervention into the elementary school years beyond what is currently available for a WIC service delivery venue, in which children are no longer eligible for services at age 6. The investigators are testing the hypothesis that periodic, tailored, and adaptive interventions delivered to caregivers at school entry will (a) reduce the probability of elevated risk associated with early-onset problem behavior, including the eventual use of drugs and other health-risking behaviors; (b) reduce the likelihood of mental health problems such as childhood depression, anxiety, conduct problems and co-morbidity; and (c) promote children's development of self-regulation, which underlies school readiness, early school literacy academic achievement, and positive peer relations.

The earlier a child initiates alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, the greater the risk of long-range problems. This association persists despite changes in national substance use rates over time, indicating its stability and viability as a target for prevention. At the same time, parent monitoring of youth behavior tends to decrease during the adolescent years, creating a source of risk for not only the early onset of AOD use but also escalation. Thus, programs are needed in parenting behaviors and family relationships that are protective in helping pre-adolescent youth to avoid initiation of AOD use and abuse. This is particularly true of children with psychiatric disorders who are at higher risk for developing AOD disorders than nonpsychiatrically disturbed children. The primary goal of this study is to test the effectiveness of a family-centered intervention to reduce the risk of AOD use among pre-adolescent children with a history of emotional/behavioral problems. In this application, the families of 80 youths aged 12-14 years, who have not yet begun AOD use but have been referred for mental health care due to psychiatric symptomatology, will be randomly assigned to receive either an individually tailored family program or standard care. The experimental intervention, which is based on the Family Check-Up model (Dishion & Kavanagh, 2003), provides a thorough assessment of family strengths and weaknesses as they relate to future risk for AOD use as well as emotional/behavioral problems, and utilizes principles of motivational interviewing to encourage families to change. Follow-up interviews will be conducted at 6 and 12 months after baseline to assess changes in parenting, AOD use, and other risky behaviors.

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a one-to-one, adult-to-youth primary preventive mentoring program in Sweden. Outcome domains and criteria for inclusion and exclusion of study participants are elaborated in collaboration with the providing NGO, and the program is given as customary.

This project focuses on the under-researched group of individuals who develop psychotic episodes of short duration (less than four weeks) while using substances. This includes individuals diagnosed with psychotic disorder not otherwise specified (PNOS) or substance-induced psychotic disorder (SIP) AND substance abuse or dependence. Very little is known about the most appropriate maintenance/relapse prevention management of these subjects. These individuals are not diagnosed with a primary psychosis because psychotic symptoms are too short-lived or non-specific, the onset of substance use precedes the onset of psychotic symptoms and the subject has not experienced sufficient psychotic symptoms in the absence of substance use. However, previous studies have shown that they are at high risk of recurrence of psychotic symptoms. Thus, this project will assess the efficacy of the second-generation antipsychotic aripiprazole for maintenance treatment of subjects who had a recent psychotic episode of short duration associated with substance use. The investigators will compare aripiprazole and placebo for preventing the recurrence of psychotic symptoms and decreasing substance use during a 6-month maintenance phase.

The lack of substance screening and referral in healthcare settings is a significant problem with far-reaching consequences, including excess morbidity, premature mortality, and inflated healthcare costs. An easy to use, time-efficient referral system is needed to address this problem. The Substance Treatment Referral Systems (STaRS), a computer assisted screening and referral system, was developed to meet this need. STaRS Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of STaRS to meet this need. All aims and evaluation goals of the Phase I study were met or exceeded. The purpose of the Phase II research is to demonstrate the clinical utility and commercial viability of STaRS. Specific Aims of Phase II are: Integrate STaRS with the Epic electronic health record used in the Cooper Health System in Camden, N.J. Document STaRS' effectiveness in (a) increasing the number of referrals provided for substance abuse treatment and HIV screening, and (b) increasing the proportion of patients that initiate specialty treatment. Evaluate clinician acceptance and impact upon revenue generation. The research will be conducted at Cooper Family Medicine (CFM) department of Cooper University Hospital in New Jersey. We will determine the rate of referrals and treatment initiation for 3,500 adult patients treated during treatment as usual (the time before STaRS is implemented at CFM) as well as 3,500 adult patients treated after the introduction of STaRS. Patients will be asked about the referral initiation process, and CFM healthcare providers will be asked to evaluate the system from a clinical and administrative prospective. Finally, billing records will be reviewed during the STaRS implementation to determine whether STaRS impacted revenue for the practices.

There has been a dramatic rise in opioid overdose (OOD) deaths in recent years. Attempts to ameliorate the problem have largely focused on increasing the accessibility of naloxone, an opioid antagonist that is effective in OOD reversal. Individuals who have experienced a non-fatal OOD are at risk for additional overdoses and yet there are no interventions that specifically target this high-risk population. To address this gap, the investigators have developed the "Tailored Telephone Intervention delivered by Peers to Prevent Recurring Opioid Overdoses" (TTIP-PRO). The overall goal of the present study is to conduct a pilot evaluation of the TTIP-PRO. The research literature suggests the need for an intervention targeting patients experiencing a non-fatal OOD.

This study examines whether an integrated alcohol/substance abuse, suicide, and HIV prevention protocol is associated with lower onset and frequency of alcohol and other drug use, suicidal behavior, and high risk sexual behavior among adolescents receiving community based mental health care.