Clinical trial NCT01886716: Retraining Attention to Treat Alcohol Dependence and Social Anxiety
Official title: Cognitive Bias Modification: A Novel Intervention for Alcohol Dependence and Social Anxiety
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Alcohol Drinking
Anxiety Disorders
Keywords: Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol Dependence
Alcohol Drinking
Social Anxiety
Social Phobia
Anxiety Disorders
Lead sponsor: University of Cincinnati
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Miami University
name: Brown University
name: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
First posted: 2013-06-26
Enrollment: 115
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: The purpose of this research is to test a computerized intervention for people with co-occurring social anxiety and alcohol dependence. The intervention seeks to reduce symptoms by shifting attention away from alcohol-relevant and/or socially threatening cues. The investigators expect that participants receiving alcohol or anxiety training will experience reductions in those specific symptoms compared to participants in a control condition. The investigators also expect that participants receiving combined alcohol and anxiety training will show the largest reductions in alcohol and anxiety symptoms, relative to participants in any other condition.

Detailed description: Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) and Social Anxiety Disorder are disabling and chronic conditions. In spite of these common and significantly overlapping problems, insight into the mechanisms linking alcohol dependence and social anxiety symptoms is minimal, and there are not well established treatment guidelines for this population. In this study, the investigators seek to develop a computerized intervention for individuals with symptoms of social anxiety and alcohol dependence. The intervention attempts to reduce symptoms by shifting attention away from alcohol-relevant and/or socially threatening cues. The investigators expect that participants receiving alcohol or anxiety training will experience reductions in those specific symptoms compared to participants in a control condition. The investigators also expect that participants receiving combined alcohol and anxiety training will show the largest reductions in alcohol and anxiety symptoms, relative to participants in any other condition.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Current alcohol dependence
* Elevated social anxiety symptoms
* Willingness to consider cutting down on drinking

Exclusion Criteria:

* Current psychosis
* Unmanaged manic symptoms
* Significant cognitive impairment
* Other drug use in past month
* Receiving cognitive behavioral therapy for alcohol use disorder or social anxiety
* Unable to read

Primary outcomes:
measure: Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale
timeFrame: Baseline, weekly throughout the 4-week trial, and in the follow-up sessions (1 week and 1 month follow-ups)
measure: The Daily Drinking Questionnaire
timeFrame: Baseline, weekly throughout the 4-week trial, and in the follow-up sessions (1 week and 1 month follow-ups)
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Cincinnati
country: United States
facility: University of Cincinnati Department of Family and Community Medicine
state: Ohio
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Cincinnati
name: Joshua C Magee, Ph.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: