Teen Marijuana Check-Up
Condition: Cannabis Use Disorder
MeSH terms: Marijuana Abuse
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 3

Summary: 
      This study will test a behavioral intervention tailored for adolescents who smoke marijuana
      and have concerns about their use. The study's purpose is to determine whether this
      intervention (two-sessions of motivational enhancement intervention followed by 12 months of
      optional skills training) will be more effective in reducing the use of this drug if
      augmented by three periodic motivational enhancement treatment check-in sessions as compared
      to three periodic computer-based check-in sessions.

      HYPOTHESES: (1) Participants in the motivational enhancement treatment check-ins (MCI)
      condition will reduce their use of marijuana more than participants in the computer based
      (Comp) condition and report fewer negative consequences. These differences are expected to be
      greater at later follow-ups (i.e, 9, 12, and 15 months) after repeated check-ins exert a
      cumulative effect. (2)Engagement in CBT sessions will be greater for those in the MCI
      condition and will partially mediate the effect on marijuana related outcome indices. (3) The
      MCI intervention will lead to increased self-efficacy, and decreased normative perceptions of
      marijuana use by other teens that will also partially mediate the effect of the intervention.
    

Detailed description: 
      The goal of this trial is to evaluate the efficacy of an enhanced Teen Marijuana Check-Up
      protocol to reach and intervene with non-treatment seeking adolescents who use marijuana
      heavily. Two hundred fifty adolescents who use marijuana heavily will receive a 2-session
      individual motivational enhancement therapy. All participants will also be offered the
      opportunity, over a 12-month period, to repeatedly re-initiate marijuana counseling.
      Participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of two types of periodic follow-up
      contacts: Motivational interviewing-based Marijuana Check-Ins (MCI) or Computer Based Control
      (Comp) sessions.

      All participants will be reassessed at the 6, 9, 12, and 15-month anniversaries of
      enrollment. Following their initial motivational enhancement therapy, the 125 experimental
      condition participants will additionally have a motivational enhancement treatment "check-in"
      session with their counselor at the 4, 7, and 10-month anniversaries of enrollment intended
      to reinforce the maintenance of treatment gains and motivate continued success, increase
      motivation to change for participants who did not meet their marijuana use goals, and/or
      prompt utilization of cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) sessions as needed. The 125
      comparison participants will complete a computer based questionnaire at the same time
      intervals to serve as an attentional control.
    

Intervention name(s): Marijuana Check-Ins
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The MCI, an MET intervention, will include the provision of personalized feedback with a motivational interviewing style. The focus of these sessions will be individualized to participants based on recent marijuana use and related experiences. Feedback given to participants during the MCI session will review progress toward goals as self-reported in percent days abstinent, normative data regarding marijuana use, review of reported consequences of marijuana use, review of abuse and dependence criteria reported, comparison of consequences and abuse and dependence symptoms reported over time, review of the positive outcomes from reductions in use, and review of immediate and long-term life goals and how their marijuana goal will affect these. HEs will offer particular encouragement to take advantage of CBT sessions to participants who feel they currently need treatment.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: cannabis use disorder; marijuana; motivational enhancement treatment; cognitive behavioral treatment; continuing care