Clinical trial NCT01128140: Efficacy Trial of Warrior Check-Up
Official title: Motivating Treatment Seeking and Behavior Change by Untreated Military Personnel Abusing Alcohol or Drugs
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE2
Conditions: Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol Dependence
Substance Abuse
Substance Dependence
Keywords: motivational enhancement therapy
Lead sponsor: University of Washington
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command
First posted: 2010-05-21
Enrollment: 242
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study will develop and test a brief telephone-delivered motivational enhancement intervention for substance abusing military personnel who are not currently in treatment. The hypotheses being tested are that this intervention will prompt a willingness to participate voluntarily in a self-appraisal of substance abuse behavior and consequences, self-initiated change or enrollment in a treatment or self-help program, and cessation of abuse of alcohol or other drugs.

Detailed description: The health and well-being of military personnel, and consequently the capacity for optimal functioning of military units, are compromised by the abuse of alcohol and/or other drugs. Rates of heavy drinking are higher among military personnel than in the general population and are even higher among recently deployed personnel.

While counseling can be effective, most substance abusers do not tend to voluntarily seek treatment. Moreover, military personnel encounter more real and perceived barriers to seeking treatment.

The substance abuse field is increasingly focusing on developing interventions for those at early stages of readiness to change, i.e., those contemplating but not yet committed to change. A brief, telephone-delivered motivational enhancement intervention (MET) called a "check-up," has shown promise in promoting self-initiated behavior change as well as voluntary treatment entry, enhanced retention, and more successful outcomes for substance abuse.

Adapting the "check-up" for application with military personnel is warranted for three key reasons: (1) it has the potential of overcoming barriers to treatment-seeking, i.e., stigma and apprehension of a negative impact on one's military career; (2) it has the potential of attracting voluntary participation; and (3) protocols for disseminating this low cost intervention for use with deployed military can readily be developed and evaluated.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. current abuse or dependence on one or more substances
2. not currently enrolled in a counseling program focusing on substance abuse
3. currently serving in the Army or other branch of the military.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. non-fluency in English
2. evidence of psychosis

Primary outcomes:
measure: Form 90D
timeFrame: 3 months
measure: Inventory of Drug Use Consequences
timeFrame: 3 months
measure: Treatment Seeking and Preparation Behaviors Questionnaire
timeFrame: 3 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale
timeFrame: 3 months
measure: Drinking Norms Rating Form
timeFrame: 3 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Seattle
country: United States
facility: University of Washington Innovative Programs Research Group
state: Washington
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Washington School of Social Work
name: Denise D Walker, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Rodriguez LM, Neighbors C, Walker D, Walton T. Mechanisms and moderators of intervention efficacy for soldiers with untreated alcohol use disorder. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2020 Feb;88(2):137-148. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000471.