Adapting the HOPE Online Support Intervention to Increase Uptake of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (HOPE MOUD)

Adapting the HOPE Online Support Intervention to Increase MAT Uptake Among OUD Patients

In a randomized controlled trial, with 3, 6-month and 1-year follow-up, this application aims to explore whether and how the HOPE intervention can be adapted to increase MOUD uptake among OUD patients, assess the effectiveness of using HOPE to increase MOUD requests, and analyze online community data to improve future intervention implementation and sustainability.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Opioid Use Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: HOPE

Detailed Description

The proposed study is a low-risk, randomized control trial to assess the efficacy of the HOPE (Harnessing Online Peer Education) intervention, an evidenced-based peer-led social media/online community intervention (e.g., Facebook Groups), to increase self-reported requests for medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) among patients with moderate to severe opioid use disorder (OUD). Participants will be recruited using a variety of recruitment methods including social media sites (e.g., Facebook), referral by physicians, medical records, research study websites (e.g., UCIMC Clinical Trials website), and study flyers disseminated at various venues, including clinics, group meetings, and shelters. Once enrolled, participants will be randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. Intervention group participants will be invited to join a private and hidden (unable to be viewed or searched for by others) group on Facebook, with approximately 6 peer leaders included in the group. Those in the control group will be invited into a Facebook group, but without peer leaders. The intervention will last 12 weeks. Study measures will be collected at the beginning of the study (baseline), after the completion of the intervention (3 months), with follow up surveys at 6 and 12 months after the study. Participants will be recruited in 5 waves, 2 waves of rural residents and 3 waves of urban residents.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 640
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Irvine, California, United States, 92617
      • University of California, Irvine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. ≥ 18 years of age;
2. Resident of CA, NV, AZ, OR, WA;
3. English speakers only;
4. Has moderate to severe OUD;
5. Is not currently prescribed MOUD;
6. Reports using social media at least 2x per week;
7. Has, or is willing to create a Facebook/social media account and accept a friend request and group invite from our study social media page

Exclusion Criteria

1. Anyone who does not fit inclusion criteria above
2. Was a participant in phase I of the study
3. Participants with active, unstable opioid, alcohol, sedative, or other substance use and/or unstable medical or psychiatric conditions as assessed by the study questionnaires will be reviewed by the study physician consultants and will be excluded and referred for acute care including detoxification, if needed.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention; HOPE intervention peer-led online community	Behavioral: HOPE; Peer leaders/role models will be trained in HOPE intervention fundamentals and assigned to online community groups with participants.
No Intervention: Control; Online community without HOPE intervention psychological components

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of requests to receive a resource on medications that can be used to treat opioid use disorder	Participants will be invited to request an informational resource on medications for opioid use disorder as well as to ask for assistance scheduling an appointment with a provider on this topic. We will count the number of participants making this request	request during the course of the 12-week community

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, Irvine
• Collaborators: National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sean D Young, PhD, University of California, Irvine

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 29, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 7, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 11, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 14, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): January 19, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 6, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 4, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: online community
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Narcotic-Related Disorders; Mental Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Opioid-Related Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20205625; 4R33AT010606 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No