Alcohol Use and Intimate Partner ViolenceMET-SAHNCT05287711
Adjunctive Motivational Alcohol Intervention to Prevent IPV
A study testing Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Treatment as Usual and Strength at Home in people with Alcohol Use and Intimate Partner Violence, run by VA Office of Research and Development at 3 sites in United States.
Trial summary
This is a study to provide much-needed experimental data on the efficacy of a brief alcohol Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) pre-group intervention for Veterans receiving group treatment for IPV perpetration. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Alcohol Use and Intimate Partner Violence
- What is being tested?
- Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Treatment as Usual and Strength at Home
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 300 participants
- Where
- 3 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2023to 30 Sep 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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
- All Veteran participants must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- participant is a Veteran
- participant is enrolled in the Strength at Home program following program intake
- participant displays evidence of alcohol-related problems during program intake, as indicated by any of the following:
- a report of physical IPV while under the influence of alcohol in the past year
- a score of 8 or greater on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
Show all 10Show fewer
- consumption of 6 or more standard drinks per occasion on one or more occasions in the previous 6 months
- average weekly consumption of 14 or more standard drinks in the prior 6 months
- participant provides written consent to participate in the study
- inclusion for this study is broad because this is a population who possesses a number of comorbid problems and exclusion for those based on psychopathology or risk for aggression could potentially lead to a biased sample
Who cannot join
- None
Trial locations and contacts
3 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States3 sites, 3 recruiting
- Recruiting
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48105-2303
Jamie Winters, PhD, 734-222-7651, Jamie.Winters@va.gov
- Recruiting
VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus, Jamaica Plain, MA
Boston, Massachusetts, 02130-4817
Casey T Taft, PhD, (857) 364-4344 ext. 44344, Casey.Taft@va.gov
Samuel F Frank, BA, (617) 821-2591, samuel.frank@va.gov
- Recruiting
Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55417-2309
Noah Venables, PhD, 612-629-7422, Noah.Venables@va.gov
About this study
Official title: Adjunctive Motivational Alcohol Intervention to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence
This is a study to provide much-needed experimental data on the efficacy of a brief alcohol Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) pre-group intervention for Veterans receiving group treatment for IPV perpetration. The investigators will compare those assigned to receive this 2-session MET intervention to those receiving a 2-session Alcohol Education (AE) intervention or a 2-session standard treatment as usual (TAU) telephone monitoring intervention. The investigators will examine whether MET leads to greater reductions in alcohol use problems and IPV perpetration, and increased help-seeking behavior for alcohol use problems. Participants will be 300 Veterans drawn from the Strength at Home IPV intervention program across the entire Veterans Health Administration system.
Read the detailed description
Veterans exposed to trauma are at elevated risk for perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) and for the development of alcohol-related problems. Despite commonly found associations between alcohol misuse and IPV, the investigators are aware of no prior research in Veterans examining the impact of adjunctive alcohol interventions for those receiving IPV intervention. The investigators propose to provide much-needed experimental data on the efficacy of a brief 2-session alcohol Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) pre-group intervention for Veterans receiving group treatment for IPV perpetration. More specifically, the investigators propose to examine whether those assigned to receive this 2-session MET intervention, relative to those receiving a 2-session Alcohol Education (AE) intervention or a 2-session standard treatment as usual (TAU) telephone monitoring intervention, evidence greater reductions in alcohol use problems and IPV perpetration, and increased help-seeking behavior for alcohol use problems. Participants will be 300 Veterans drawn from the Strength at Home IPV intervention program across the entire Veterans Health Administration system. Participants will be randomized to their pre-group conditions and then assigned to Strength at Home groups for IPV, and will receive referrals for substance use treatment in the VA system or the community. Participants with clinically relevant alcohol use problems, as determined by baseline screening measures, will complete assessments of alcohol use, readiness to change, IPV and help-seeking behavior at baseline, post IPV intervention group (3 months after completion of 2-session alcohol intervention), and four separate 3-month follow-ups after the post-treatment assessment. Differences between conditions on the major outcome variables involving alcohol use, IPV, help-seeking, and treatment engagement will be examined with random-effects regression models using an intent-to-treat approach. Study findings may assist in enhancing the efficacy of IPV interventions for the Veteran population to help ensure the safety and well-being of Veterans and their families.
- Being tested
- Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Alcohol Education Control, Treatment as Usual, Strength at Home
- Keywords
- Intimate Partner Violence, Alcohol Use
- Medical subject headings
- Alcohol Drinking
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Motivational Enhancement TherapyBehavioural
Also called MET
In Session 1, the therapist provides personalized feedback on a range of assessment variables, including alcohol consumption levels, negative consequences from alcohol use, and family risk of alcoholism. Sessions 2-4 are follow-through sessions in which the therapist attempts to help the Veteran participant establish or reaffirm a commitment to an action plan for addressing alcohol concerns.
Alcohol Education ControlBehavioural
Also called AE
Will consist of 4 weekly individual sessions, approximately 60 minutes each. AE therapists will explain that their job is to provide the Veteran participants with information and education about the effects of alcohol, and that it is up to the Veteran participant to use this information as he sees fit. In each session, the Veteran participant will watch an educational videotape in a comfortable consulting room and will be given an opportunity to discuss the videotape with the project therapist for approximately 10 minutes. Written educational materials will supplement the information provided in the videos, and the therapist will ask several structured questions to determine whether the Veteran participant understood the material presented in the video.
Treatment as UsualBehavioural
Also called TAU
Supportive telephone monitoring sessions that ensure equal spacing between assessments across conditions and equal number of therapist contacts.
Strength at HomeBehavioural
Also called SAH
IPV intervention which consists of 12 weekly, 2-hour cognitive-behavioral sessions offered in a closed group format and co-led by doctoral level male and female therapists. Strength at Home is based on a social information processing model of trauma and IPV and provides material covering psychoeducation regarding trauma and IPV, conflict and anger management skills, assertiveness training, and skills in stress management and communication.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Motivational Enhancement Therapy | Experimental | Motivational enhancement therapy for alcohol use problems, which includes empathic support, feedback and advice, strategies for enhancing self-efficacy, techniques for eliciting self-motivational statements from the participant, strategies for addressing participant ambivalence about change and participant resistance to change, and methods for eliciting and affirming commitment to a specific change plan (active intervention). Receives: Behavioral: Motivational Enhancement Therapy; Behavioral: Strength at Home |
| Alcohol Education Control | Experimental | Psychoeducational intervention intended to: (1) dispel myths about the effects of alcohol, (2) provide information about the general risks of drinking and process of recovery from alcohol problems, (3) provide information about the specific risks related to family relationships and IPV, (4) offer self-help program information and related strategies to address drinking problems, (5) promote and encourage healthy decision-making, and (6) reinforce the benefits of abstinence or controlled drinking. Receives: Behavioral: Alcohol Education Control; Behavioral: Strength at Home |
| Telephone Monitoring | Other | Brief supportive telephone monitoring sessions that are commonly delivered while Veterans wait to begin their groups (treatment as usual). Receives: Behavioral: Treatment as Usual; Behavioral: Strength at Home |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Quantity/Frequency of Alcohol Consumption, Self-Report (QFV)
Participants will be shown a standard drink equivalent chart and will answer questions about their typical alcohol consumption quantity (in standard drink units) on weekdays and weekend days, typical drinking frequency (number of consumption days per week) on weekdays and weekend days, and the highest number of standard drinks consumed at a single occasion during the prior 3 months. If participants work unusual schedules, they will be asked to define the weekend as their day or days off from work. If participants report periods of abstinence and periods of drinking in the previous 3 months, the questions will pertain to periods of drinking. Scores will not be reported on a scale, so there are no minimum and maximum values to report.
Measured: Baseline, post-treatment, three-month, six-month, nine-month, and twelve-month follow-ups
Secondary outcomes (1)
Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2)
Intimate partner violence (IPV) will be measured using the CTS2, administered to the client regarding their IPV at baseline and follow-up assessments. We will administer only the Physical Assault (12 items) and Psychological Aggression (8 items) subscales to limit respondent burden and because these are most relevant to study hypotheses. The minimum value is 0 and the maximum value is 8. Higher scores represent higher rates of IPV, except for 7 and 8, which represent year and lifetime use and experience of IPV. Variety scores will be calculated for the CTS2 so that scores reflect the number of positively endorsed IPV behaviors (rather than estimates of IPV frequency). This scoring method is considered more reliable, less skewed, more balanced (since high frequency, less severe aggressive behaviors may outweigh the influence of more severe but less frequent violence), and less influenced by recall errors than other methods.
Measured: Baseline, post-treatment, three-month, six-month, nine-month, and twelve-month follow-ups
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted18 Mar 2022
- Study start1 Sep 2023
- Primary completion30 Sep 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Sep 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Alcohol Use and Intimate Partner ViolenceStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by VA Office of Research and DevelopmentThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants will receive motivational enhancement therapy for alcohol use problems and this will be compared to an alcohol psychoeducational intervention.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- VA Office of Research and Development
- Sponsor type
- US federal agency
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Casey Tyler Taft, PhD, Principal investigator, VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus, Jamaica Plain, MA
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05287711
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NURA-007-20F
- Other IDs
- 1I01CX002221-01A1
- Acronym
- MET-SAH
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 9 Mar 2022
- Last updated
- 23 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 23 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Adjunctive Motivational Alcohol Intervention to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05287711
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- MET-SAH / NURA-007-20F
- Keywords
- Intimate Partner Violence, Alcohol Use
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- VA Office of Research and DevelopmentUS federal agency
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Sep 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Sep 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 18 Mar 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This is a study to provide much-needed experimental data on the efficacy of a brief alcohol Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) pre-group intervention for Veterans receiving group treatment for IPV perpetration. The investigators will compare those assigned to receive this 2-session MET intervention to those receiving a 2-session Alcohol Education (AE) intervention or a 2-session standard treatment as usual (TAU) telephone monitoring intervention. The investigators will examine whether MET leads to greater reductions in alcohol use problems and IPV perpetration, and increased help-seeking behavior for alcohol use problems. Participants will be 300 Veterans drawn from the Strength at Home IPV intervention program across the entire Veterans Health Administration system.
Detailed description
Veterans exposed to trauma are at elevated risk for perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) and for the development of alcohol-related problems. Despite commonly found associations between alcohol misuse and IPV, the investigators are aware of no prior research in Veterans examining the impact of adjunctive alcohol interventions for those receiving IPV intervention. The investigators propose to provide much-needed experimental data on the efficacy of a brief 2-session alcohol Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) pre-group intervention for Veterans receiving group treatment for IPV perpetration. More specifically, the investigators propose to examine whether those assigned to receive this 2-session MET intervention, relative to those receiving a 2-session Alcohol Education (AE) intervention or a 2-session standard treatment as usual (TAU) telephone monitoring intervention, evidence greater reductions in alcohol use problems and IPV perpetration, and increased help-seeking behavior for alcohol use problems. Participants will be 300 Veterans drawn from the Strength at Home IPV intervention program across the entire Veterans Health Administration system. Participants will be randomized to their pre-group conditions and then assigned to Strength at Home groups for IPV, and will receive referrals for substance use treatment in the VA system or the community. Participants with clinically relevant alcohol use problems, as determined by baseline screening measures, will complete assessments of alcohol use, readiness to change, IPV and help-seeking behavior at baseline, post IPV intervention group (3 months after completion of 2-session alcohol intervention), and four separate 3-month follow-ups after the post-treatment assessment. Differences between conditions on the major outcome variables involving alcohol use, IPV, help-seeking, and treatment engagement will be examined with random-effects regression models using an intent-to-treat approach. Study findings may assist in enhancing the efficacy of IPV interventions for the Veteran population to help ensure the safety and well-being of Veterans and their families.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- Participants will receive motivational enhancement therapy for alcohol use problems and this will be compared to an alcohol psychoeducational intervention.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Motivational Enhancement Therapy | Experimental | Behavioral: Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Behavioral: Strength at HomeMotivational enhancement therapy for alcohol use problems, which includes empathic support, feedback and advice, strategies for enhancing self-efficacy, techniques for eliciting self-motivational statements from the participant, strategies for addressing participant ambivalence about change and participant resistance to change, and methods for eliciting and affirming commitment to a specific change plan (active intervention). |
| Alcohol Education Control | Experimental | Behavioral: Alcohol Education Control, Behavioral: Strength at HomePsychoeducational intervention intended to: (1) dispel myths about the effects of alcohol, (2) provide information about the general risks of drinking and process of recovery from alcohol problems, (3) provide information about the specific risks related to family relationships and IPV, (4) offer self-help program information and related strategies to address drinking problems, (5) promote and encourage healthy decision-making, and (6) reinforce the benefits of abstinence or controlled drinking. |
| Telephone Monitoring | Other | Behavioral: Treatment as Usual, Behavioral: Strength at HomeBrief supportive telephone monitoring sessions that are commonly delivered while Veterans wait to begin their groups (treatment as usual). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (10 listed)
- participant is a Veteran
- participant is enrolled in the Strength at Home program following program intake
- participant displays evidence of alcohol-related problems during program intake, as indicated by any of the following:
- participant provides written consent to participate in the study
- inclusion for this study is broad because this is a population who possesses a number of comorbid problems and exclusion for those based on psychopathology or risk for aggression could potentially lead to a biased sample
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- None
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Motivational Enhancement TherapyAlso: METIn Session 1, the therapist provides personalized feedback on a range of assessment variables, including alcohol consumption levels, negative consequences from alcohol use, and family risk of alcoholism. Sessions 2-4 are follow-through sessions in which the therapist attempts to help the Veteran participant establish or reaffirm a commitment to an action plan for addressing alcohol concerns. | Behavioural | Motivational Enhancement Therapy |
| Alcohol Education ControlAlso: AEWill consist of 4 weekly individual sessions, approximately 60 minutes each. AE therapists will explain that their job is to provide the Veteran participants with information and education about the effects of alcohol, and that it is up to the Veteran participant to use this information as he sees fit. In each session, the Veteran participant will watch an educational videotape in a comfortable consulting room and will be given an opportunity to discuss the videotape with the project therapist for approximately 10 minutes. Written educational materials will supplement the information provided in the videos, and the therapist will ask several structured questions to determine whether the Veteran participant understood the material presented in the video. | Behavioural | Alcohol Education Control |
| Treatment as UsualAlso: TAUSupportive telephone monitoring sessions that ensure equal spacing between assessments across conditions and equal number of therapist contacts. | Behavioural | Telephone Monitoring |
| Strength at HomeAlso: SAHIPV intervention which consists of 12 weekly, 2-hour cognitive-behavioral sessions offered in a closed group format and co-led by doctoral level male and female therapists. Strength at Home is based on a social information processing model of trauma and IPV and provides material covering psychoeducation regarding trauma and IPV, conflict and anger management skills, assertiveness training, and skills in stress management and communication. | Behavioural | Alcohol Education Control, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Telephone Monitoring |
Primary outcome
Quantity/Frequency of Alcohol Consumption, Self-Report (QFV)
Time frame: Baseline, post-treatment, three-month, six-month, nine-month, and twelve-month follow-ups
Participants will be shown a standard drink equivalent chart and will answer questions about their typical alcohol consumption quantity (in standard drink units) on weekdays and weekend days, typical drinking frequency (number of consumption days per week) on weekdays and weekend days, and the highest number of standard drinks consumed at a single occasion during the prior 3 months. If participants work unusual schedules, they will be asked to define the weekend as their day or days off from work. If participants report periods of abstinence and periods of drinking in the previous 3 months, the questions will pertain to periods of drinking. Scores will not be reported on a scale, so there are no minimum and maximum values to report.
1 secondary outcome
Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2)
Time frame: Baseline, post-treatment, three-month, six-month, nine-month, and twelve-month follow-ups
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 23 Oct 2026.
- VHA Strength at Home Program WebsiteLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Casey Tyler Taft, PhD principal investigator
VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus, Jamaica Plain, MA
3 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Treatment as Usual and Strength at Home in people with Alcohol Use and Intimate Partner Violence, run by VA Office of Research and Development at 3 sites 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 10 inclusion and 1 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 3 sites 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Casey T Taft, PhD ((857) 364-4344 ext. 44344, Casey.Taft@va.gov), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Quantity/Frequency of Alcohol Consumption, Self-Report (QFV) (time frame: Baseline, post-treatment, three-month, six-month, nine-month, and twelve-month follow-ups). 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 23 Oct 2026.