None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
We will directly target young people with comorbid depression and binge drinking behaviours and, for the first time, evaluate an internet-based psychological treatment program, augmented with peer-driven social networking. This program can easily be translated into primary care, clinical and real world settings for use by young people experiencing these conditions. Via this study, we aim to: (1) Demonstrate that young people, aged 18-30 years, who are experiencing low mood and are binge drinking will engage with web-based treatments that target their multiple problems simultaneously; (2) Demonstrate that young people with these problems will benefit from web-based treatment targeting low mood and binge drinking simultaneously; and (3) Demonstrate the additional benefit of peer-led social influence on engagement and mood and binge drinking outcomes for young people, when offered in conjunction with a web-based treatment for these conditions. We will examine the relative impact of: (a) Monthly online self-assessment (OSA) for 12 months; OSA (b) OSA + 12-months of access to a 4-week. program of web-based intervention for binge drinking and depressed mood (DEpression ALcohol - DEAL); OSA + DEAL (c) OSA + DEAL + 12-months of access to Breathing Space.
Interventions
This project will compare 3 intervention conditions:
(1) 12 * Online monthly self-assessments of mood (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21) and alcohol use (Timeline Follow-back for past month). It is anticipated that this will take approximately 10 minutes, and participants will complete these assessments once per month for 12 months post-baseline (active control);
(2) Online monthly self-assessment + DEAL (4 online sessions of cognitive behaviour therapy treatment for depression and alcohol mi
This project will compare 3 intervention conditions: (1) 12 * Online monthly self-assessments of mood (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21) and alcohol use (Timeline Follow-back for past month). It is anticipated that this will take approximately 10 minutes, and participants will complete these assessments once per month for 12 months post-baseline (active control); (2) Online monthly self-assessment + DEAL (4 online sessions of cognitive behaviour therapy treatment for depression and alcohol misuse, to be completed once weekly for 4 weeks. Each session takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, with access to the DEAL program provided from the point of randomisation. Access to the DEAL program will be provided for a 12 month period, allowing people to revisit the material over this time); and (3) Online monthly self-assessment + DEAL + Breathing Space Social Networking site (12 months of access to Breathing Space, with moderation provided by clinical psychologists with expertise in treating depression and alcohol misuse). All participants will undergo baseline assessment, and follow-up assessment at twenty-six, thirty-nine, fifty-two and sixty-four weeks post-baseline. Participants will receive $20AUD for each of the baseline and follow-up assessments they complete. Participants will receive monthly reminder emails to prompt completion of the online monthly self assessments. For weeks 1-12 following baseline, participants allocated to the conditions involving the DEAL program and/or Breathing Space social networking will receive a reminder email to access the corresponding program if more than one week has lapsed from their last login. Between weeks 13-53 post-baseline, participants allocated to conditions involving DEAL will receive monthly reminder emails to remind participants to utilise the skills used in the DEAL program and to revise the DEAL content if/when required. Reminder emails to participants allocated to the Breathing Space condition will be sent between weeks 13-52 if a participant has not accessed the social networking program in the previous month.
Sponsors
University of New South Wales
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 30 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Participants will be between the ages of 18-30 and living in Australia, with low mood (score at least 12 on the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21) and binge drinking (binge drinking at least 2 times in the previous month, where a binge is 5 or more standard drinks in one sitting, as measured by the Time Line Follow Back).
Exclusion criteria
People who cannot understand English sufficiently to complete the various assessments and DEAL program. People who do not have access to the internet (either in their private residence, or do not have a willingness to use the public library/other suitable venues with internet access). In NSW it is illegal to buy alcohol for or sell alcohol to people under 18 years of age, so they have been excluded from this research. This study does not include those aged over 30 as it is focusing on treatment of young people who are notoriously more difficult to engage and retain in traditional treatment services than are adults.
Outcome results
None listed