Feasibility of Telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Hong Kong Chinese Young Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Pilot Study

Objective: The proposed study aims to develop a protocol of telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and examine the feasibility of implementing such intervention among the Hong Kong Chinese young adults with AUD.

Study design: A randomized controlled trial will be carried out. A convenience sample of 60 young adults with AUD will be recruited from the community. Subjects who are randomized into the experimental group which will receive a total of 6 weekly telephone-based ACT provided by an experienced health counsellor, or into the control group which will receive social support provided by a research assistant, that mimics the time and attention of the intervention. Feasibility measures will be collected at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups. Also, all subjects will be asked to complete a structured questionnaire to assess their alcohol use behaviours and psychological flexibility at the same time points.

Main outcome measures: The primary outcomes are feasibility measures by descriptive statistics. The secondary outcome is the preliminary effectiveness of telephone-based ACT in alcohol abstinence at 6 months

Data analysis: Multiple logistic regression will be used for analysis. Intention-to-treat analysis will be applied. Multiple imputations will be used to handle the missing data.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Alcohol Use Disorder; Alcohol Abstinence
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: ACT; Behavioral: Social support

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Hong Kong
  • Kowloon, Hong Kong
    • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• (1) aged 18 to 25 years,
• (2) able to read Chinese and speak Cantonese
• (3) drinking at hazardous levels as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT; score of ≥8)

Exclusion Criteria:

• (1) those receiving other behavioural therapy for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
• (2) having a diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: ACT; Telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for young adults with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)	Behavioral: ACT; Participants in the experimental group will receive a total of 6 weekly telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) sessions.
Placebo Comparator: Control; Telephone-based social support	Behavioral: Social support; Participants in the control group will receive telephone-based social support weekly for 6 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Screening rate	It will calculate the number of young adults screened by the research assistant divided by the number of young adults available for screening during the recruitment period.	Baseline
Eligibility rate	It will be calculated as the number of eligible young adults divided by the number of screened young adults.	Baseline
Consent rate	It will be calculated as the number of eligible young adults who join the study divided by the number of eligible young adults.	Baseline
Randomization rate	It will be calculated as the number of young adults who are randomized into the experimental and control groups, divided by the number of eligible young adults who consent to join the study.	Baseline
Attendance rate to the intervention	It will be calculated as the number of subjects in the experimental group who complete the intervention divided by the number of subjects randomized into the experimental group.	at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups
Adherence to intervention	It will be calculated as the number of subjects in the experimental group who practice the ACT skills gained in the intervention divided by the number of subjects randomized into the experimental group. It will be calculated at each follow-up.	at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups
Retention rate	It will be calculated the number of subjects who remain in the study, divided by the number of subjects who are randomized. It will be calculated by groups at each follow-up.	at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups
Completion rate	It is calculated as the number of subjects who answer the questionnaires divided by the number of questionnaires distributed.	at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups
Missing data	It is defined as the percentage of missing in the dataset. Unknown or blank values will be regarded as missing.	at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups
Adverse event	unfavorable and unintended events.	at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Weekly alcohol consumption	Drinks per week over the past 30 days. The Timeline Follow-Back questionnaire (TLFB) will be used to determine the number of alcohol-free days from drinking days, and the number of drinks consumed per day.	at 6-month (T2) follow-ups
Psychological flexibility	The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II (AAQII) will be used to measure psychological flexibility. This questionnaire contains 7 items, with each rated on a 7-point scale, from 1 (never true) to 7 (always true). Lower scores indicate greater levels of psychological flexibility.	at 6-month (T2) follow-ups

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 17, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 26, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 30, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 30, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 26, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: young adults; alcohol use disorder; telephone-based; alcohol abstinence; accepectance and commitment therapy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Drinking Behavior; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Behavior; Alcoholism; Alcohol Abstinence
• Other Study ID Numbers: ACT for young AUD

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No