Exposure Therapy as Aftercare for Alcohol Use Disorder

October 26, 2021 updated by: Kjeld Andersen, University of Southern Denmark

Alcohol Cue Exposure: An Investigator-blinded, Randomized, Controlled Study of Exposure-based Aftercare in Alcohol Use Disorder Individuals

Background: It is well documented that individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) respond well during evidence-based psychological treatment, but also that a large proportion relapse when discharged from treatment and confronted with alcohol in real life. Cue Exposure Therapy (CET) focuses on confronting alcohol cues in order to reduce cravings as well as the likelihood of relapse. The aim of this study is to investigate whether CET as aftercare increases the efficiency of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) among AUD individuals.

Design and methods: The study is implemented as an investigator-blinded randomized controlled trial. A total of 300 consecutively enrolled AUD patients, recruited from an alcohol outpatient clinic will be randomized to one of the three following aftercare treatment groups: (A) CET as a smartphone application (n = 100); (B) CET as group therapy (n = 100), and (C) Aftercare as Usual (n = 100). It is hypothesized that the two experimental groups ((A) and (B)) will achieve better treatment outcomes as compared to the control group ((C)), and It will be explored whether CET as smartphone application is as effective as CET as group therapy. The groups will be compared in a number of parameters including alcohol intake, cravings and copings-strategies.

Discussion: If the hypothesis, that CET increases the efficiency of CBT is verified, it will make sense to supplement CBT with CET as aftercare, hence, reintegrating CET within a CBT approach. Although, CET is most often regarded as one of the behavioral methods in CBT, there appears to be segregation in the empirical literature when it comes to treatment of addictive disorders. However, CET may allow the patient to practice and gain control over alcohol cue reactivity and associated high-risk situations in an inter-mediating therapeutic context before the patients inevitably are confronted by them. In this way, one might expect the transition from treatment to daily life less overwhelming and CET may help prevent relapse in the long term. Thus, CET may be particularly suitable as aftercare.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

BACKGROUND It is well documented that individuals with Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) respond well during Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, but that a large proportion of individuals relapse after treatment when confronted with alcohol in real life. Therefore, future treatment interventions for long-term prevention of relapse should aim to teach how to apply coping strategies and regain control over their alcohol cravings in their daily confrontations with alcohol and associated stimuli.

Cue Exposure Treatment (CET) is a behavioural psychological approach that focuses on confronting alcohol cues in order to reduce cravings as well as the likelihood of relapse. During CET individuals are exposed to alcohol related stimuli whilst their usual drink responses are hindered. Thus, they are given the opportunity to practice coping strategies during exposure to alcohol. In this way, it is predicted that individual's learned automatic responses will extinguish over time and that their cognitive control over cue reactivity strengthens.

Mental health care applications, has the potential to improve alcohol treatment and continuing care by offering psychological treatment anywhere and when the patient find it convenient. Because, psychological treatment is a substantial socio-economic burden when delivered in individual sessions, there has been a tendency to deliver the relevant treatment through group sessions. However, mental healthcare applications, have even more potential in order to reduce the burden on the health care system, in addition to increasing the availability of evidence-based treatment. Whilst group sessions are documented effective, behavioural healthcare applications targeting AUD needs further exploration.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of the study is three-fold:

  1. To investigate whether manual-based CET delivered via a smartphone or in group sessions increases the efficiency of CBT outpatient treatment in groups of AUD individuals.
  2. To investigate whether CET as a smartphone application is as or more effective than CET group therapy.
  3. To investigate whether CET as smartphone intervention will show to be more cost-effective than CET delivered in group sessions.

DESIGN AND METHODS The study is implemented as an investigator-blinded, randomized controlled trial. A total of 300 consecutively enrolled AUD individuals, recruited from an alcohol outpatient clinic will be randomized to one of the three following aftercare treatment groups: (1) CET as a smartphone application; (2) CET as group therapy, and (3) Standard aftercare treatment. Individuals in group 1 are required to use the smartphone application five times a week for eight weeks. Individuals in group 2 are required to have CET group therapy every other week for eight weeks. Individuals in group 3 will receive one individual follow-up session eight weeks after the primary treatment has ended.

It is hypothesized a priori that the two experimental groups will achieve better treatment outcomes as compared to the control group (3). No a priori hypotheses guides comparisons of the effect of CET delivered via group sessions and smartphone application. Two-sided analyses are conducted here, because there is no empirical literature in this specific area to generate a priori hypotheses.

The groups will be compared pre- and post-aftercare treatment, according to the following parameters:

  1. Relapse and alcohol intake, as measured with the Time-Line-Follow-Back (TLFB) method;
  2. Cravings, measured with Desires for Alcohol Questionnaire (DAQ), Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS), and Visual Analogue Scale for Craving (VAS);

  3. Coping skills, operationalized with Urge-Specific Strategies Questionnaire (USS)

    Data will be collected at three different time-points: before entering aftercare treatment (baseline), after eight weeks (follow-up), and again after six month (follow-up). In addition, we will follow the patients through medical registers for one year in order to measure relapse in the longer term, without the challenges associated with getting contact one year after ended treatment.

  4. Data from registers: The National Patient Register, The National Health Service Register, The National Prescription Registry and The Psychiatric Central Research Register.

Intention-to-treat analyses (ITT) will be carried out for all outpatients. With regard to incomplete data, "last observation carried forward" (LOCF) and multiple imputations will be used. Completer (on-treatment) analyses will be carried out for patients who have completed the respective interventions.

Odense Patient data Explorative Network (OPEN) data manager develops electronic schemes for data entry. Data will be imported and stored in OPEN Projects.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
160

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Denmark
      • Odense, Denmark, 5000
        • Unit if Clinical Alcohol Research

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 60 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Completed primary treatment with CBT
  • Accept participating in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Not Danish speaking
  • Psychotic disorders
  • Severe cognitive impairment
  • Terminal somatic illness

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: CET via smartphone
Cue Exposure Treatment
Behavioral: Cue Exposure Treatment
Experimental: CET via group sessions
Cue Exposure Treatment
Behavioral: Cue Exposure Treatment
No Intervention: Aftercare as usual

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Alcohol consumption
Time Frame: 26 weeks after baseline
Abstinence or controlled use of alcohol in the last 30 days 26 weeks after treatment start as measured with the timeline follow-back method
26 weeks after baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Alcohol consumption
Time Frame: 8 weeks after baseline
Abstinence or controlled use of alcohol in the last 30 days 8 weeks after treatment start as measured with the timeline follow-back method
8 weeks after baseline
Alcohol related contact with the Health Care system
Time Frame: One year after baseline
Contact with the Health Care system one year after treatment start as measured by Danish registers
One year after baseline

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cravings as measured by the Visual Analogue Craving Scale, Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale and Desires for Alcohol Questionnaire
Time Frame: 26 weeks after baseline
Cravings are measured by the Visual Analogue Craving Scale, Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale and Desires for Alcohol Questionnaire
26 weeks after baseline
Cravings as measured by the Visual Analogue Craving Scale, Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale and Desires for Alcohol Questionnaire
Time Frame: 8 weeks after baseline
Cravings are measured by the Visual Analogue Craving Scale, Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale and Desires for Alcohol Questionnaire
8 weeks after baseline
Coping skills as measured by The Urge-Specific Strategies Questionnaire
Time Frame: 26 weeks after baseline
The Urge-Specific Strategies Questionnaire
26 weeks after baseline
Coping skills as measured by The Urge-Specific Strategies Questionnaire
Time Frame: 8 weeks after baseline
The Urge-Specific Strategies Questionnaire
8 weeks after baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Southern Denmark

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 6, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 21, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 24, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 27, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 26, 2021

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Cue Exposure Study, RESCueH

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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