Conditions: Substance Abuse
Keywords: Contingency management for smoking for substance abusers Contingency reinforcement for smoking abstinence Contingency Management Noncontingent Reinforcement
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 340
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The aim of this study is to determine whether contingent reinforcement for smoking abstinence, compared to noncontingent reinforcement, increases the effectiveness of brief counseling and nicotine replacement on smoking abstinence of substance abusers in residential treatment.

Detailed description:
Substance abusers have a high prevalence and rate of smoking with little success in quitting, so stronger approaches are needed to encourage attempts to quit smoking.

The aim of this study is to determine whether contingent reinforcement for smoking abstinence (CM), compared to noncontingent reinforcement (NR), increases the effectiveness of brief counseling and nicotine replacement on smoking abstinence of substance abusers in residential treatment. The proposed study will be a 2-group design in which up to 274 substance abusers who smoke 10 or more cigarettes per day receive brief advice (4 sessions) and nicotine replacement (NRT) (8 weeks), and are randomized to 19 days of CM for smoking vs. a matched NR condition. The brief advice is adapted slightly for sobriety settings. Point-prevalence abstinence will be assessed at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after starting treatment. Secondary aims evaluate effects of CM on substance use outcomes and potential mediators of effects on outcome, including within-treatment abstinence, motivation level and tolerance for smoking discomfort.

The significance is to add knowledge about the most effective ways to maximize smoking cessation among substance abusers, important given that no methods are known to work with this population.

Arms:
arm 1: Condition provides contingent monetary reinforcement for smoking reductions (first 5 days) then for smoking abstinence (subsequent 14 days). Expired carbon monoxide (CO) levels will be the basis for determining reductions and abstinence. arm 2: Controls for effects of receiving payments, providing daily breath samples for CO level, and degree of interaction between patient and research staff. NR will allow them to earn an amount which is matched in amount to the expected average earned in CM contingent only on providing breath samples independent of the CO level attained.

Interventions: intervention 1: Nicotine Replacement Treatment (NRT) intervention 2: Brief Advice intervention 3: Contingency Management intervention 4: Non-Contingent Reinforcement
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Nicoderm CQ nicotine skin patch: 21mg patch for 4 weeks, 14mg patch for 2 weeks, 7mg patch for 2 weeks. This is supplemental intervention provided to all. intervention 2: Brief Advice (BA): Patients will receive four sessions of a manualized brief intervention based on NCI guidelines (Manley et al., 1991; Hollis et al., 1993) as modified for sobriety settings. This simple counseling has five components: (1) Assess smoking and initial interest in cessation; (2) Advise the patient to quit smoking; (3) Assist the patient in quitting; (4) Assess interest in quitting; and (5) Arrange booster sessions. This supplemental information is provided to all. intervention 3: Condition provides contingent monetary reinforcement for smoking reductions (first 5 days) then for smoking abstinence (subsequent 14 days). Expired carbon monoxide (CO) levels will be the basis for determining reductions and abstinence. intervention 4: Controls for effects of receiving payments, providing daily breath samples for CO level, and degree of interaction between patient and research staff. NR will allow them to earn an amount which is matched in amount to the expected average earned in CM contingent only on providing breath samples independent of the CO level attained.

Protocol document: