Adventure: Teacher Delivered Personality-targeted Interventions for Substance Misuse

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Several personality factors have been shown to be associated with risk for alcohol and substance misuse, and differentiate substance abusers based on clinical profile, treatment response and susceptibility to other forms of mental illness. Personality-targeted interventions have been found to have significant preventative effects on onset and growth of drinking, binge-drinking and drinking problems in adolescents attending mainstream schools (Conrod, Castellanos & Mackie, 2008). The interventions concurrently reduced personality-specific emotional and behavioural problems (Castellanos & Conrod, 2006), and prevented the onset and escalation of drug-use over a two-year period (Conrod, Castellanos-Ryan & Strang, 2010). This cluster randomised controlled trial aims to examine whether these results can be replicated when interventions are delivered by trained educational professionals. In addition, the trial will evaluate the broader impact of the programme on cigarette smoking, school attendance, academic achievement and school-wide behaviours.

Detailed Description
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The Adventure study aims to examine whether educational professionals such as teachers, mentors or individuals in a pastoral role, who are trained in carrying out personality-targeted interventions will be effective in reducing problem behaviours in a group of adolescents. 20 schools in London, U.K. were recruited for the trial, and over 2000 adolescents (mean age 13.7 years) consented to participate in the survey and intervention phases of the trial. Schools were randomly assigned to control or intervention condition, and students in intervention schools who met the criteria for any of the 4 personality risk subscales of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (Negative Thinking, Anxiety Sensitivity, Sensation Seeking and Impulsivity) were invited to participate in a personality-targeted intervention by trained members of staff from their schools. All participants were invited to complete follow-up surveys at 6-month intervals for 2 years. The remaining 55% of low risk students in the grad were also followed to examine population-level effects of the intervention as well. The main outcome measures of this RCT are alcohol and illicit drug outcomes. Secondary measures include mental health symptoms, risky behaviour, school attainment and attendance, and school-wide behaviours. It is hypothesised that teacher-delivered personality-targeted interventions will have similar preventative effects on alcohol and drug use as reported by Conrod et al (2008, 2010), in addition to the personality-specific intervention effects reported by Castellanos & Conrod (2006). In addition, broader effects of the intervention on academic achievement and school-wide behaviour will be examined in this trial, both at the individual level and at the population-level.

Official Title
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Cognitive Behavioral Interventions That Target Personality Risk for Substance Abuse and Mental Illness: Delivery by Educational Professionals

Conditions
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Alcohol Abuse, Drug Abuse, Depression, Panic Disorder, Conduct Disorder

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Personality-targeted interventions


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Secondary school student Exclusion Criteria: None

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 13 Years
Maximum Age: 16 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: learning to cope with your impulsivity<br>Cognitive-behavioural intervention targeting impulsive personality | Behavioral: Personality-targeted interventions<br>* Motivational and cognitive behavioural interventions targeting four personality profiles. 2 90 minute group sessions with personality-matched peers facilitated by a trained teacher and co-facilitator<br>* Other names: Preventure, but now delivered by teachers;|
| Experimental: learning to cope with your sensation seeking<br>cognitive behavioural intervention designed to help sensation seeking youth manage their need for stimulation and excitement. | Behavioral: Personality-targeted interventions<br>* Motivational and cognitive behavioural interventions targeting four personality profiles. 2 90 minute group sessions with personality-matched peers facilitated by a trained teacher and co-facilitator<br>* Other names: Preventure, but now delivered by teachers;|
| Experimental: learning to cope with your anxiety sensitivity<br>cognitive behavioural intervention teaching anxiety sensitive youth to manager their sensitivity to threat and anxiety. | Behavioral: Personality-targeted interventions<br>* Motivational and cognitive behavioural interventions targeting four personality profiles. 2 90 minute group sessions with personality-matched peers facilitated by a trained teacher and co-facilitator<br>* Other names: Preventure, but now delivered by teachers;|
| Experimental: learning to manage your negative thinking<br>cognitive behavioural intervention targeting pessimistic and negative thinking in hopeless youth | Behavioral: Personality-targeted interventions<br>* Motivational and cognitive behavioural interventions targeting four personality profiles. 2 90 minute group sessions with personality-matched peers facilitated by a trained teacher and co-facilitator<br>* Other names: Preventure, but now delivered by teachers;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Binge drinking frequency | Frequency in the past 6 months that subject reported drinking 5 or more alcoholic beverages (4 or more for girls) on one drinking occasion. | 2 years | 
| Drinking frequency | Past six months frequency of drinking | 2 years | 
| drinking quantity | Average number of alcoholic beverages consumed on a typical drinking occasion in the past six months | 2 years | 
| Drinking problems | number of drinking problems reported on an abbreviated version of the Rutger's Alcohol Problem Index. | 2 years | 
| illicit drug use events | Time to onset of illicit drug use | 2 years | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emotional and behavioural problems, targeted and school-wide effects | Psychiatric symptoms (depression, panic anxiety, antisocial behaviours), coping skills, motives for drinking, school attendance and attainment, in-class behaviours assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Brief Symptom Inventory. | 2 years |