The Use of Telephone-based ACT for Quitting Alcohol in the Young Population With Hazardous or Harmful Alcohol Use.

February 27, 2026 updated by: Dr Katherine Lam, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Assist Young Adults With Hazardous or Harmful Alcohol Use to Quit Drinking

Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of a telephone-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in assisting young adult drinkers with hazardous or harmful alcohol use (HH drinkers) to quit drinking.

Hypothesis to be tested:

Primary hypothesis: 1) those who receive telephone-based ACT will report a significantly higher biochemical validated abstinence than the control groups.

Secondary hypotheses are that compared with the control groups, those who receive telephone-based ACT will show: 2) significantly higher self-reported 30-day abstinence, 3) significantly greater reduction in drinking, and 4) significantly higher psychological flexibility.

Design and subjects: A Hong Kong randomized controlled trial with 2-arm waitlist controlled trial design on 288 individuals (aged 18-35 years, able to read Chinese and speak Cantonese, and with AUDIT scores≥8).

Study instruments: Biochemical-validated abstinence (Urine strips), timeline Follow-Back questionnaire, self-reported 30-day abstinence and Personalized Psychological Flexibility Index, Short-Form 6 Dimensions and semi-structured interviews.

Interventions:

The intervention group(n=144) will receive 6-weekly telephone-based ACT. The waitlist control group (n=144) will receive 6-weekly telephone-based social support intervention.

Main outcome measures: Primary outcome is biochemical-validated abstinence at the 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes include self-reported 30-day abstinence alcohol reduction, and psychological flexibility at baseline, post-program, 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-ups.

Data analysis: Descriptive statistics, generalized estimating equations, multiple imputation, intention-to-treat, per protocol analyses, and cost-effectiveness analysis.

Expected results: The telephone-based ACT is effective in assisting HH drinkers to quit drinking.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

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.

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 (Estimated)

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.
288

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • (1)aged 18-35 years,37-38
  • (2)able to read Chinese and speak Cantonese
  • (3)have AUDIT scores≥8.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • (1) those who have a serious mental illness (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale7 with a score of ≥13)

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: Sequential Assignment
  • Masking: Double

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: Telephone-based ACT
Telephone-based ACT for alcohol abstinence
Behavioral: Telephone-based ACT
Each participant will join a six-session weekly telephone-based ACT programme conducted by the interventionists. Each session will last approximately 45-60 minutes.
Placebo Comparator: Waitlist control
Telephone-based social support
Behavioral: Telephone-based social support
Participants will receive weekly 45-minute telephone-based social support from an interventionist(not involved in the intervention group) for 6 weeks, which mimics the time and attention received by those in the intervention group.

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
biochemically-validated abstinence
Time Frame: at the 6-month follow-up
The urine strips will be used for testing the content of ethyl glucuronide(a by-product of alcohol). Participants who self-report quitting drinking within the past 30 days at the 6-month follow-up will be invited to do the test.
at the 6-month follow-up

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
self-reported 30-day alcohol abstinence
Time Frame: at post-programme(T1) and at the 1-month(T2), 3-month(T3) and 6-month(T4) follow-ups
at post-programme(T1) and at the 1-month(T2), 3-month(T3) and 6-month(T4) follow-ups
self-reported 30-day reduction in alcohol consumption
Time Frame: at post-programme(T1) and at the 1-month(T2), 3-month(T3) and 6-month(T4) follow-ups
reduction in alcohol consumption refer to: 50% or more reduction in average alcohol consumption per day when compared with baseline at T0
at post-programme(T1) and at the 1-month(T2), 3-month(T3) and 6-month(T4) follow-ups
psychological flexibility
Time Frame: at post-programme(T1) and at the 1-month(T2), 3-month(T3) and 6-month(T4) follow-ups
Personalised Psychological Flexibility Index(PPFI) will be used to measure psychological flexibility by 19 items rating on a 7-point scale. Higher scores represent greater psychological flexibility. It has been validated among Chinese college students.
at post-programme(T1) and at the 1-month(T2), 3-month(T3) and 6-month(T4) follow-ups

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.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

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 (Estimated)

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.
August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
August 1, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
August 1, 2029

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 12, 2025

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.
February 27, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

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.
March 4, 2026

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.
March 4, 2026

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.
February 27, 2026

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.
December 1, 2025

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.
  • telephone-based ACT

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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