Intervention for Battered Sheltered Women With Substance Use Randomized Trial

April 6, 2020 updated by: Caron Zlotnick, Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island

Computer-Based Intervention for Battered Sheltered Women With Substance Use Randomized Trial

This study developed and assessed an innovative, high-reach, easily implementable, low-cost computer-delivered intervention (Safe and Healthy Experiences; The SHE Program) that addresses known barriers in early identification and intervention with sheltered battered women with IPV (intimate partner violence) and substance use.

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

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and substance use are significant and interconnected public health problems facing women. For battered women, the presence of substance use increases the risk of revictimization and the risk of more severe abuse. Battered women's shelters provide emergency shelter to approximately 300,000 women and children each year. A prime time to intervene with battered women might be when they enter a shelter and have already initiated a change in their lives. A shelter-based intervention for battered women that addresses substance use problems might reduce the risk of substance use, reduce the risk of future IPV, and improve utilization of substance use treatment and community resources. The objective of this R34 Award was to develop and assess an innovative, easily implementable, low-cost, computer-delivered intervention, the SHE Program (Safe and Healthy Experiences) that addresses known barriers in early identification and intervention for battered sheltered women with substance use issues. SHE is based on motivational interviewing (MI) a well-defined intervention strategy that has yielded particularly promising results in a range of clinical issues and a range of patient populations, including substance using women. MI is consistent with an empowerment model, which is a highly recommended intervention model for victimized women. The R34 had two distinct phases to assess the SHE Program with battered sheltered women with substance use issues. During the Development Phase, the research team conducted focus groups and developed the intervention to meet the needs of our target group, developed the software for the computer-delivered intervention, and conducted an open trial with 10 participants. During the Pilot Study Phase, the investigators conducted a two-group, randomized controlled study with a sample of 50 battered sheltered women who reported substance use difficulties within the last three months, which provides the necessary groundwork to examine the efficacy of the SHE Program in a future, large clinical trial. The SHE Program was found to be feasible, acceptable and efficacious in improving outcomes for our vulnerable target population. The program has the potential to be widely disseminated while maintaining treatment fidelity across battered women shelters and may hold promise for IPV populations with substance use difficulties in other settings.

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.
50

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

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Attleboro, Massachusetts, United States, 02703
        • New Hope
    • Ohio
      • Akron, Ohio, United States, 44305
        • Battered Women's Shelter of Summit and Medina Counties
    • Rhode Island
      • Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02905
        • Center for Women's Behavioral Health at Women and Infants' Hospital
      • Woonsocket, Rhode Island, United States, 02895
        • Sojourner House

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 and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Women who are 18 or older, residents of a battered women's shelter, who are at risk substance users within the last 3 months as determined by the screener, the NIDA-Modified ASSIST, and endorse IPV within the last 3 months as determined by the screener, the WAST (Woman Abuse Screening Tool)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to provide informed consent (e.g., due to florid psychosis or other clear cognitive impairment)
  • Inability to understand English

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
  • 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: SHE Program
Participants received a 50 minute intervention on the computer immediately after their baseline assessment and a 15 minute "booster" session on the computer within 2 weeks after the intervention. There was also a 3 and 6 month follow-up after completion of the SHE program.
Behavioral: SHE Program
The SHE program is specifically tailored, innovative and relevant to diverse, racial, and ethnic sheltered, battered women in a number of ways including the images and content used in the intervention. It is also tailored to participants' alcohol or substance use status, and designed to reach participants across levels of motivation for change. The content of SHE is theory-driven, consistent with the motivational interviewing model of behavior, and consistent with the literature on effective interventions that address IPV and substance use.
No Intervention: Control Condition
Control condition consisted of a series of questions regarding television show preferences and viewing a brief series of videos of popular entertainers/shows, with subsequent requests for rating of subjective preference. Participants in this condition completed a baseline assessment as well as a television show booster and a follow-up assessment 3 and 6 months later.

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 and Substance Use: Timeline Follow-back (TLFB)-Modified Computer Version
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline, and at 3 and 6 months post shelter
The computer-based TLFB will assess drug use and heavy drinking (4+ standard drinks) days for the past week and the past 90 days. For primary analysis, days using drugs and heavy drinking days will be combined to create a single variable that reflects the total number of days that women used drugs or had 4+ drinks. The primary outcome is substance use (heavy drinking or drug using) days over a 6 month post shelter period. We are assessing the change of this number from baseline to 3 months post shelter, and from baseline 6 months post shelter.
Assessed at baseline, and at 3 and 6 months post shelter

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
The Treatment Services Review (TSR)
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline, and again at 3 and 6 months later
The Treatment Services Review will be used to assess total times using substance use services (both treatment and self-help utilization) received (including outpatient, day patient, residential treatment, NA, AA) to capture the extent to which women are reaching out to access recovery-related resources. The TSR will assess number of times attending substance use services, divided by the number of days in the reporting period.
Assessed at baseline, and again at 3 and 6 months later
The Composite Abuse Scale (CAS)
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline, and again at 3 and 6 months after shelter release
The CAS is a widely used self-report of behaviors scale with 4 subscales that measure severe, combined abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and harassment. The CAS has recently been published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compendium of intimate partner violence measures. It consists of 30 items presented in a six point format requiring respondents to answer "never", "only once", "several times", "monthly", "weekly" or "daily" in a twelve month period. Below we present the CAS victimization scores. Scores range from 0 to 145; higher scores are worse.
Assessed at baseline, and again at 3 and 6 months after shelter release
The Cyber Stalking Scale
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline, and again at 3 and 6 months later
The Cyber Stalking Scale measure is a 6 -item measure and assesses the use of technologies in stalking and harassment. Scores range from 0 to 12. Lower is better (indicated less Cyber Stalking).
Assessed at baseline, and again at 3 and 6 months later
Safety Behavior Checklist (SBC)
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline, and again at 3 and 6 months after shelter release
Safety Behavior Checklist (SBC) has 15 items that assess the use of strategies suggested to keep victim safe (e.g., hiding money and extra clothing). Scores range from 0 to 15; higher scores are better (indicating more safety behaviors used).
Assessed at baseline, and again at 3 and 6 months after shelter release

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.
Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

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.
March 1, 2016

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, 2018

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.
March 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).
December 2, 2015

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.
December 9, 2015

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.
December 14, 2015

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.
April 8, 2020

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.
April 6, 2020

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.
April 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • 792696
  • R34DA038770-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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