Body-oriented Therapy for Women in SUD Treatment
Substance Use DisorderThe long-term objective of this study is to improve women's substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. The immediate project goal is to test the efficacy of an innovative mind-body intervention, Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT) to reduce substance use relapse among women in SUD treatment. A novel mind-body approach, MABT combines a hands-on (manual) approach with mind-body psycho-education approaches of interoceptive training and mindfulness to develop somatically-based self-care skills and to facilitate emotion regulation. A three-group, randomized clinical trial using repeated measures, this project will enroll and randomize 225 women to one of three groups, MABT + Treatment-as-usual (TAU) (n=75), TAU only (n=75), and Women's Health Education (WHE) + TAU (to control for time and attention) (n=75). Study conditions will be compared at baseline, post-intervention, and at 6 and 12 month follow-up. The primary aim is to test the hypothesis that MABT will result in reduced substance use and related health outcomes compared to TAU and to WHE+ TAU at 12 month follow-up. The second aim is to examine hypothesized underlying mechanisms of MABT. Female outpatients in two diverse community treatment facilities, serving racially diverse patients, will be recruited for study participation. This study builds on promising preliminary evidence of MABT feasibility and acceptability in substance use disorder treatment for women, and addresses the need for more clinical research aimed at improving SUD treatment outcomes for women.
Project CHOICE: Efficacy Testing of CHOICE and CHOICE+Normative Feedback Interventions
Substance-related DisordersThis study will use a pilot test format to examine the efficacy of a brief Motivational Interviewing (MI) intervention developed by the investigator Dr. Douglas Smith called CHOICE (Compassionate Helpers Openly Inviting Client Empowerment)with youth referred for substance abuse assessments to substance abuse treatment agencies in Chicago and Urbana, IL.
A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial of Creatine in Female Methamphetamine Users
DepressionDual Diagnosis1 moreMethamphetamine (MA) addiction is a public health concern that causes substantial harm to individual users, and imposes an economic burden in the U.S. totaling up to $48.3 billion annually. This study proposes to address a critical aspect of this problem: the lack of any proven, FDA-approved pharmacological treatments for MA users. The proposal combines an intervention designed to improve energy metabolism in the brain, and a neuroimaging technique capable of measuring the neurochemicals that represent cerebral bioenergetic function. The study will replicate and extend a key neuroimaging finding from the investigators recent MA studies: that MA users have decreased phosphocreatine (PCr) levels in the brain, compared to healthy volunteers. Phosphocreatine is the substrate reservoir for the creatine kinase reaction, which reversibly converts PCr into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the brain's major energy supply, and creatine. Neuronal energy demands are met through a shift in reaction equilibrium, which is designed to maintain the concentration of ATP constant. Research results from the investigators recent study also showed that female MA users have lower brain PCr levels compared to male users. These findings join the converging lines of evidence that MA use is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, i.e. deficient energy metabolism, in the brain. Frequently, MA users also experience depression, as well as cognitive deficits. Interestingly, both of these entities are also linked to mitochondrial dysfunction in the brain. The long-term goal of this research program is to define the alterations in brain chemistry that underlie MA use disorders, and to utilize translational magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) neuroimaging to identify rational brain-based treatment targets. Once a hypothesis-driven intervention is identified, MRS can then be further employed in treatment studies, to verify that "target engagement" is achieved. The specific aims of this proposal are an example of this stepwise scientific process: the nutritional supplement creatine will be tested in a randomized, placebo-controlled study of women with MA use disorders, to investigate creatine's effect on cerebral PCr levels, depressive symptoms, and MA usage.
Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment for Drug Use
Drug AbuseScreening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is a comprehensive, integrated public health approach to identify and deliver a spectrum of early detection and intervention services for substance use in general medical care settings. These settings, such as emergency department visits, offer a potential "teachable moment" because patients may have perceptions of vulnerability about their health, and therefore be particularly receptive to screening and counseling. There is mounting scientific evidence suggesting SBIRT is effective in reducing alcohol use at varying levels of severity in a myriad of health care settings including primary care, emergency departments, and trauma centers. Although the SBIRT approach has shown promise for alcohol, relatively little is known about its effectiveness for adult illicit drug use specifically. This will be among the first studies to rigorously test the SBIRT approach for drug use. It will evaluate the effectiveness of SBIRT for drug use and related factors for 700 multi-ethnic ED patients using a two-group randomized repeated-measures design in which biologically-validated drug use abstinence and related outcomes of an intervention group are compared to those of an attention-placebo control group. Over a 14-month period, bilingual/bicultural Health Educators recruited participants who reported past 30-day illicit drug use in excess of risky alcohol use from the waiting areas of two large hospital's ED and trauma units. Following consent procedures and standardized baseline assessments, Health Educators randomly assigned participants to one of the two conditions. The intervention group received "Life Shift," an SBIRT drug use intervention matched to the participant's drug use risk level. The control group received the same type and quantity of intervention in an unrelated area-Driving and Traffic Safety ("Shift Gears" program), also matched to their driving/traffic risk level. A 6-month face-to-face follow-up visit by trained measurement technicians blind to the participant's assigned condition collected standardized self-report past 30-day drug use measures (ASI-Lite)and hair samples for validating self-reported abstinence. Additional outcome variables are changes in the frequency of drug use, functional status measures (i.e., medical problems, psychiatric problems, and alcohol use), and health care utilization.
Primary Care-Based Interventions to Reduce Alcohol Use Among HIV Patients
HIVAcquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome3 moreThis randomized clinical trial uses a health plan's electronic medical record (EMR) alcohol screen; and examines innovative behavioral interventions, and their cost effectiveness, for hazardous drinking within a large HIV primary care clinic. We will compare Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Email Feedback (EF) to usual care; and evaluate the effect of the interventions on unhealthy drinking, comorbid drug use, enrollment in substance use treatment programs, and HIV outcomes including antiretroviral therapy adherence, HIV RNA control, and unsafe sex. Given the well-known adverse effects of unhealthy drinking on HIV care and outcomes, the proposed study has the potential to make a significant impact in the care of HIV patients.
Pre-Release VIVITROL for Opioid Dependent Inmates
Substance-Related DisordersNaltrexone is a medication that has been shown to help prevent relapse to opioid addiction and it has been reported to be clinically effective in parolee populations although it is rarely used. Recently a depot formulation with one-month duration has received FDA approval for the treatment of alcoholism and opiate dependence. This means that rather than having to take medication daily, individuals can receive one injection that lasts for approximately 30 days. The purpose of this study is to determine whether this monthly injection of naltrexone is practical and useful in the prevention of relapse to opioids and re-incarceration when administered to inmates prior to release from prison. The investigators will also monitor HIV risk behaviors to determine whether the intervention reduces risky behaviors associated with intravenous drug abuse and the spread of viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C. Volunteers will be randomized to receive an injection of depot naltrexone prior to release from prison or to contact study personnel in the community following release. Participants assigned to receive naltrexone in prison will receive 1 injection in prison, and 5 additional monthly injections for 5 months upon release. Participants assigned to contact study personnel upon release will receive all 6 injections in the community at RIH after their release from the ACI. Patients in both groups will be given identical follow up monthly for six months including measures of opiate use by self-report, and urine tests. An additional scheduled urine test will take place each month between monthly visits. There will also be a 12-month follow-up period for participants in both groups, which will consist of 2 visits, spaced 6 months apart, meaning that participants will be enrolled in the study for a total of about 18 months. All participants will be asked to complete brief questionnaires at follow-up visits to assess things such as services received, drug use, and depression.
Home-Based Program to Help Parents of Drug Abusing Adolescents
Substance-Related DisordersDrug Addiction1 moreThis project is aimed at parents with a teenager who is already starting to use drugs. The study will test a new, innovative version of a brief intervention. This program will be home based rather than implemented by a counselor in a clinical setting. The stage I activities will involve manual development, parent training development, and a small feasibility study; Stage II involves an efficacy study. Two samples, 110 families each, will participate in the trial. Families will be assigned to either an intervention or control condition. The investigators hypothesize that the home-based intervention will be superior to the control condition. In addition, the investigators expect response to the intervention by the adolescent to be mediated by motivation, cognitions, problem solving, peer drug use, parenting skills and parent self-efficacy.
A Study to Assess the Abuse Potential of Hydrocodone Extended-Release Tablet in Recreational Opioid...
Drug AbuseThe purpose of this study is to assess the relative abuse potential of the hydrocodone bitartrate extended-release tablet compared to immediate-release hydrocodone bitartrate.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Addiction, and Virtual Reality
Substance Use DisordersPosttraumatic Stress DisorderEligible veterans, National Guardsmen & Reservists with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and problems with addiction will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions. All participants will undergo exposure therapy, a gold standard behavioral treatment for PTSD for 10 weeks. In addition to exposure therapy, some participants will be randomly assigned to receive (1) virtual reality (VR)-based exposure to cues for marijuana, cocaine, heroin, cigarette, and/or alcohol use, and (2) cellular phone-based reminders of learning (extinction reminders, or, ERs) to VR exposure (available 24 hours per day/7 days per week) to high-risk contexts for drug use. The main hypothesis is that those participants who receive exposure therapy + VR/ERs will demonstrate less substance use and lower PTSD symptoms during treatment, at post-treatment, and at follow-up than those participants who only receive exposure therapy. At study completion, a total of 123 subjects signed consent.
Preventing Health Damaging Behaviors in Male and Female Army Recruits
Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) PreventionUnintended Pregnancy Prevention3 moreHealth damaging (risk) behaviors of young military personnel are reflections of health problems facing all young people in the U.S. Military life presents opportunities and challenges that may both protect against and place young troops at risk for health damaging behaviors. Challenges for maintaining a healthy armed force include high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unintended pregnancies (UIPs), misuse of alcohol and other substances. The common thread through these negative health outcomes is volitional behavior. Such behaviors do not only result in illness or injury, but also negatively impact performance of military duties and threaten military readiness. Despite military leadership in setting standards and policies regarding professional behavior and universal health care for preventing and eliminating such negative health outcomes, many health problems remain. Building on our previous military research, we will evaluate the effectiveness a cognitive-behavioral, skills-building intervention to prevent and reduce young troops' risk for and acquisition of STIs and UIPs and will seek to reduce a number of their associated risk factors including, alcohol misuse, other substance use, and victimization due to IPV in male and female U.S. Army soldiers who are receiving Advance Individual Training (AIT) in Fort Jackson, SC.