Cognitive Biases in Cocaine Addiction: Evaluation of an Approach Bias Modification during Inpatient Withdrawal

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00040364

Enrollment

Registered

2026-07-17

Start date

2026-07-27

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-08-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

F14.2

Interventions

Group 1: Intervention group: Approach Bias Modification (ApBM) to modify the automatic tendency to approach (approach bias) stimuli relevant to addiction over four consecutive days during a qualified

when pulled towards, the images become larger. Group 2: Sham-control group: Participants performed the Approach-Avoidance Task (also over four consecutive days), but without the aim of modifying their

instead, they were pushed to the left or right, so that neither an approach nor an avoidance tendency was trained. The ratio between left and right is also 50:50 in this group.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 65 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: - diagnosed cocaine addiction - voluntary participation - sufficient knowledge of German

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: - use of medication to manage withdrawal symptoms - severe traumatic brain injuries - acute psychosis - acute suicidal tendencies - inadequate knowledge of German - significant cognitive impairments - lack of legal capacity

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1.) Change in cocaine-specific approach bias (AAT-score; Approach-Avoidance Task): the difference in bias scores between T0 (baseline) and T1 (post-training) across groups.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
2.) Clinical outcome: relapse rate and time-to-first-relapse at time points T2 (2-week follow-up) and T3 (3-month follow-up). 3.) Craving reduction: Change in scores on the Cocaine Craving Questionnaire (CCQ) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) between T0 and T1. 4.) Feasibilty and acceptance: Completion rate of the training sessions and patients' subjective assessment. 5.) Moderating effects: Influence of age, gender, impulsivity (Barrat Impulsiveness Scale; BIS-15), severity of addiction (Severity of Dependence Scale; SDS) and severity of withdrawal (Cocaine Selective Severity Assessment; CSSA) on the success of the training.	—

Measure

Time frame

2.) Clinical outcome: relapse rate and time-to-first-relapse at time points T2 (2-week follow-up) and T3 (3-month follow-up). 3.) Craving reduction: Change in scores on the Cocaine Craving Questionnaire (CCQ) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) between T0 and T1. 4.) Feasibilty and acceptance: Completion rate of the training sessions and patients' subjective assessment. 5.) Moderating effects: Influence of age, gender, impulsivity (Barrat Impulsiveness Scale; BIS-15), severity of addiction (Severity of Dependence Scale; SDS) and severity of withdrawal (Cocaine Selective Severity Assessment; CSSA) on the success of the training.

—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactMartin Diers

LWL-Universitätsklinikum Bochum

martin.diers@rub.de+49 234 5077 3175

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Aug 10, 2026