Journaling and Addiction Recovery: Piloting Positive Peer Journaling

Study Overview
=================
Brief Summary
-----------------
The main objective of this study is to pilot test the Positive Peer Journaling (PPJ) intervention and its feasibility and acceptability. A second objective is to compare individuals assigned to PPJ to individuals in a treatment as usual control group.

Official Title
-----------------
Journaling and Addiction Recovery: Piloting Positive Peer Journaling

Conditions
-----------------
Addiction

Intervention / Treatment
-----------------
* Behavioral: Positive Peer Journaling (PPJ)


Participation Criteria
=================
Eligibility Criteria
-----------------
Inclusion Criteria: meet DSM-V criteria for past-year Substance Use Disorder as primary or secondary diagnosis, English literacy sufficient to make short written lists needed to complete PPJ and homework assessments, minimum 2 weeks sustained abstinence, completed first 2 weeks of treatment at Nuway (approximately 2 weeks), an intensive outpatient substance use disorder treatment program and the recruitment site, agree to be audio recorded or transcription recorded in group meetings and in individual meetings with research staff, currently are clients in the Nuway outpatient program, participants must be English speaking and literacy must be strong enough to write short lists and to understand the questions asked in the questionnaires, participants must have an electronic device that connects to the internet and internet connection for online delivery of intervention during COVID-19. Exclusion Criteria: presence of a psychotic disorder, psychiatric condition (e.g., suicidal ideation), or cognitive impairment (e.g., severe dementia, traumatic brain injury) limiting ability to give consent and/or participate in the study; severe psychiatric illness (current schizophrenia, major depression with suicidal ideation); personality disorders that would interfere with satisfactory participation in or completion of the study protocol, inability to give informed, voluntary consent to participate, lack of sufficient English literacy to participate, defined as inability to make a list of 5 things they did yesterday and inability to understand questionnaire items, any impairment, activity, or situation that in the judgement of the research staff would prevent satisfactory participation in or completion of the study protocol.

Ages Eligible for Study
-----------------
Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
-----------------
All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
-----------------
No

Study Plan
=================
How is the study designed?
-----------------

Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Treatment Group<br>Participants in this group will complete the intervention, Positive Peer Journaling (PPJ), while also continuing to attend intensive outpatient treatment for addiction. | Behavioral: Positive Peer Journaling (PPJ)<br>* PPJ is a journaling practice to support addiction recovery. PPJ encourages past 24 hour review and upcoming 24 hour planning to improve subjective wellbeing in recovery and reduce relapse. PPJ uses journals with column headings under which individuals make bullet-pointed lists. On the left hand page, past 24 hours is recalled, itemizing good and bad things that happened and things for which one is grateful. Good wishes for others are also expressed on this page. On the right hand page, values-based activities for the upcoming 24 hours are planned via headings representing valued life domains such as recovery, work/school, spirituality, home and household, and health.<br>|
| No Intervention: Control Group<br>There will be no intervention for those randomized to the control group. However, they will complete assessment instruments throughout the study period while also continuing to attend intensive outpatient treatment for addiction. | |

What is the study measuring?
-----------------
Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Satisfaction with Life | Score on the Satisfaction with Life scale. This scale has 5 items assessed on a 7 point Likert-type response format. Scores range from 5 to 35 with higher scores representing higher satisfaction with life. | 9 weeks | 
| Happiness with recovery | Score on a single item, In general, I am happy with my recovery. This item uses an 11 point scale ranging from 0 to 11. Higher scores represent higher happiness with recovery. | 9 weeks | 
| Commitment to sobriety | Score on a single item, I will do whatever it takes to recover from my addiction. This item uses an 11 point scale ranging from 0-11. Higher scores represent greater commitment to sobriety. | 9 weeks |