Decreasing Stress and Improving Self-control With "Stress in Control" (Sync) Training
Condition: Stress; Obesity; Overeating
MeSH terms: Hyperphagia
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 1

Summary: 
      This is a study of treatment approaches aimed to improve self-control and decrease stress and
      unhealthy/maladaptive behaviors such as drinking, overeating, and smoking.

      High levels of stress may make it harder to maintain self-control, especially when trying to
      control our unhealthy behaviors. Training on improving self control and decreasing stress may
      help decrease unhealthy behaviors. The goal of this new training program will be to decrease
      a subject's unhealthy behavior by helping them better manage their stress and improve their
      self control over unhealthy habits.
    

Detailed description: 
      This study proposes to pilot a mindfulness based affect-regulation treatment approach to
      improve self-control and physiological and biochemical indicators of stress, as well as
      decrease unhealthy/maladaptive behaviors such as drinking, overeating, and smoking. The broad
      aims of the treatment approach will be to teach participants to (1) observe and increase
      awareness of cognitive, affective, bodily sensations/expressions and action-urge components
      of emotional/compulsion experiences; and (2) develop alternate affective, behavioral and
      cognitive coping strategies in managing and regulating affect/urge experiences. It is hoped
      that the findings from this study will aid in the further development of treatment and
      prevention programs targeting stress reduction and coping to improve control over maladaptive
      behaviors and decrease physical and mental health symptoms.

      Aims:

        1. Develop a mindfulness based affect-regulation therapy manual, and training materials to
           train therapists on a treatment approach aimed at improving self-control over unhealthy
           addictive behaviors.

        2. Develop and implement "Stress in Control" (SynC) training competence and adherence
           rating scales;

        3. Conduct a preliminary study using the SynC manual, which will evaluate the effectiveness
           and feasibility of SynC in comparison to a Primary Care Treatment Control Group and a
           Historical Control Group approach for 100 individuals interested in help in decreasing
           targeted unhealthy behaviors. Primary outcomes will be a reduction in unhealthy problem
           behaviors, and secondary outcomes will be decrease in measures of stress, and increases
           in emotion regulation and self control.

        4. (secondary aim) Collect baseline data on measures of self control, mood, coping,
           personality, cognitive functioning, acute and chronic stress, and mental and physical
           health on a large sample of subjects seeking help in decreasing unhealthy behaviors.
    

Intervention name(s): Nutritional Counseling; Mindfulness Intervention
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): weekly group and individual skills training to improve self control and decrease stress.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Stress; obesity; overeating