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Intravenous Drug UsageNCT04943432

Open Trial of a Behavioral Activation Telepsychology Intervention for People Who Inject Drugs

A study testing Behavioral Activation in people with Intravenous Drug Usage, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The study has two aims: 1) To examine the feasibility and acceptability of administering a telepsychology Behavioral Activation (BA) treatment for substance use among non-treatment-seeking people who inject drugs (PWID); 2) To test the initial efficacy of the treatment from pretreatment to a 1-month follow-up on… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Intravenous Drug Usage
What is being tested?
Behavioral Activation
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
23 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
29 Sep 2021to 8 May 2022
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • At least 18 years of age
  • Reports regular recent injection drug use (defined as injecting drugs on at least one day in the last week and injecting drugs for at least two months)
  • Can identify at least one goal or area of change to address during treatment
  • Has regular (at least twice weekly) access to an electronic device that can make phone or video calls and has access to the internet to complete online questionnaires

Who cannot join

  • Attending or on a wait list to receive psychosocial substance use treatment
  • <5th grade reading level
  • Impairment due to active psychosis
  • Unable to give informed, voluntary, written consent to participate.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599

Other trials in United States

About this study

The study has two aims: 1) To examine the feasibility and acceptability of administering a telepsychology Behavioral Activation (BA) treatment for substance use among non-treatment-seeking people who inject drugs (PWID); 2) To test the initial efficacy of the treatment from pretreatment to a 1-month follow-up on substance-related problems, readiness to change drug use, and BA. The intervention is hypothesized to be feasible and well-accepted, and within-subject analyses are hypothesized to demonstrate decreases in substance-related problems and increases in readiness to change drug use and BA from pretreatment to a 1-month follow-up.

The study aims to recruit N=25 non-treatment-seeking PWID from a syringe exchange program (estimated treated sample n=15). Participants will receive 8 sessions of BA over 4 weeks, and assessment of study outcome measures will occur at pretreatment, post-treatment, and a one-month follow-up.

Being tested
Behavioral Activation
Keywords
People who inject drugs, Behavioral Activation, Telepsychology, Psychosocial Treatment, Harm Reduction, Low-threshold
Medical subject headings
Harm Reduction

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Behavioral ActivationBehavioural

    8 sessions of harm reduction-focused Behavioral Activation for Substance Use

Study groups in NCT04943432
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
People who inject drugsExperimentalPeople who inject drugs recruited from a needle exchange program who will participate in a psychosocial intervention
Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral Activation

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in Behavioral Activation Assessed With Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS) Score

    Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS) total score; Scale range 0-150, higher scores indicate greater activation (positive outcome).

    Measured: pretreatment (T1), immediately after (or up to 2 weeks after) treatment completion (T2), and 1 month (or up to 2 months) posttreatment (T3), where average treatment duration was 4 weeks

  2. Change in Substance Use Problem Recognition Score Assessed With Recognition Subscale of Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) Score (Readiness to Change Drug Use)

    Outcome is subscale score on Recognition subscale of Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES); Range of 7-35, higher scores indicate greater problem recognition.

    Measured: pretreatment (T1), immediately after (or up to 2 weeks after) treatment completion (T2), and 1 month (or up to 2 months) posttreatment (T3), where average treatment duration was 4 weeks

  3. Change in Taking Steps to Change Substance Use Assessed With Taking Steps Subscale of Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) Score (Readiness to Change Drug Use)

    Outcome is subscale score on Taking Steps subscale of Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES); Range of 8-40, higher scores indicate greater steps to change (positive outcome)

    Measured: pretreatment (T1), immediately after (or up to 2 weeks after) treatment completion (T2), and 1 month (or up to 2 months) posttreatment (T3), where average treatment duration was 4 weeks

  4. Change in Substance-related Problems Assessed With Short Inventory of Problems - Alcohol and Drugs (SIP) Score

    Short Inventory of Problems - Alcohol and Drugs (SIP) total score; Scale range 0-45, higher scores indicate greater problems (negative outcome)

    Measured: pretreatment (T1), immediately after (or up to 2 weeks after) treatment completion (T2), and 1 month (or up to 2 months) posttreatment (T3), where average treatment duration was 4 weeks

  5. Treatment Attendance (Feasibility)

    Number of treatment sessions attended; Range 0-8; Higher number indicates greater attendance (positive outcome)

    Measured: During the intervention, or up to 6 weeks after the pretreatment assessment, where average treatment duration was 4 weeks

  6. Treatment Satisfaction Assessed With Client Satisfaction Questionnaire Score (Acceptability)

    Client Satisfaction Questionnaire; Scale range 8 to 32, higher scores indicate greater satisfaction (positive outcome)

    Measured: At the Posttreatment assessment (T2), which occurs after treatment completion or a maximum of 8 weeks after the pretreatment assessment, where average treatment duration was 4 weeks

  7. Therapeutic Alliance Assessed With Working Alliance Inventory Score (Acceptability)

    Outcome is mean of all items on Working Alliance Inventory; Range 1-5, higher scores indicate greater therapeutic alliance (positive outcome)

    Measured: At the Posttreatment assessment (T2), which occurs after treatment completion or a maximum of 8 weeks after the pretreatment assessment, where average treatment duration was 4 weeks

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. Change in Depressive Symptoms Assessed With Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9 Depression) Score

    Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9 Depression); Scale range 0-27, higher scores indicate greater depressive symptoms (negative outcome)

    Measured: pretreatment (T1), immediately after (or up to 2 weeks after) treatment completion (T2), and 1 month (or up to 2 months) posttreatment (T3), where average treatment duration was 4 weeks

  2. Change in Anxiety Symptoms Assessed With General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7 Anxiety) Score

    General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7 Anxiety); Scale range 0-21, higher scores indicate greater anxiety symptoms (negative outcome)

    Measured: pretreatment (T1), immediately after (or up to 2 weeks after) treatment completion (T2), and 1 month (or up to 2 months) posttreatment (T3), where average treatment duration was 4 weeks

  3. Change in HIV Risk Behaviors Assessed With HIV Risk Behavior Scale (HRBS) Score

    HIV Risk Behavior Scale (HRBS); Scale range 0-55, higher scores indicate greater HIV risk behavior (negative outcome)

    Measured: pretreatment (T1), immediately after (or up to 2 weeks after) treatment completion (T2), and 1 month (or up to 2 months) posttreatment (T3), where average treatment duration was 4 weeks

  4. Change in Substance Use Risk Assessed With Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) Score

    Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST); Scale range 0-44, higher scores indicate greater substance use risk (negative outcome)

    Measured: from Pretreatment up to 2 months posttreatment

  5. Change in Substance Use Frequency Assessed With Timeline Followback (TLFB) Interview

    Percent days with any substance use, assessed via Timeline followback (TLFB) Interview; Range 0-100%, higher scores indicate greater substance use frequency (negative outcome)

    Measured: pretreatment (T1), immediately after (or up to 2 weeks after) treatment completion (T2), and 1 month (or up to 2 months) posttreatment (T3), where average treatment duration was 4 weeks

  6. Goal Attainment Assessed With Modified Goal Attainment Scale Score

    Modified Goal Attainment Scale; Range 0-5, higher scores indicate greater goal attainment (positive outcome)

    Measured: During the intervention, or up to 6 weeks after the baseline assessment, where average treatment duration was 4 weeks

  7. Environmental Reward Assessed With Environmental Reward Observation Scale (EROS) Score

    Environmental Reward Observation Scale (EROS); Scale range 10-40, higher scores indicate greater environmental reward (positive outcome)

    Measured: pretreatment (T1), immediately after (or up to 2 weeks after) treatment completion (T2), and 1 month (or up to 2 months) posttreatment (T3), where average treatment duration was 4 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted29 Jun 2021
  2. Study start29 Sep 2021
  3. Primary completion8 May 2022
  4. Study completion8 May 2022

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
23 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04943432
Sponsor's protocol ID
19-1458
Other IDs
1F31DA049457
Status last verified
Aug 2022
First submitted
15 Jun 2021
Last updated
30 May 2023
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: Deidentified individual data that supports the results will be shared beginning 9 to 36 months following publication provided the investigator who proposes to use the data has approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB), Independent Ethics Committee (IEC), or Research Ethics Board (REB), as applicable, and executes a data use/sharing agreement with University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Behavioral Activation in people with Intravenous Drug Usage, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 May 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 30 May 2023). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in Behavioral Activation Assessed With Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS) Score (time frame: pretreatment (T1), immediately after (or up to 2 weeks after) treatment completion (T2), and 1 month (or up to 2 months) posttreatment (T3), where average treatment duration was 4 weeks). The study lists 7 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 30 May 2023; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.

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