Alcohol Abuse, Conduct Disorder, Depression, Drug Abuse, Panic Disorder
Conditions
Keywords
Prevention, Addiction, Personality, Adolescents, Binge Drinking, Alcohol Abuse, Comorbidity, Depression, Anxiety, Antisocial Behaviour
Brief summary
Personality targeted cognitive behavioural interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing alcohol and drug misuse in adult substance abusers (Conrod et al., 2000) and adolescent drinkers (Conrod et al, in press). As these interventions target personality traits linked to risk for addictive and non-addictive mental disorders, the aim of this study is to examine the extent to which this approach can prevent and/or reduce alcohol and drug misuse as well as have an impact on the onset or severity of emotional and behavioural problems in young people.
Detailed description
Personality targeted cognitive behavioural interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing alcohol and drug misuse in adult substance abusers (Conrod et al., 2000) and adolescent drinkers (Conrod et al, in press). As these interventions target personality traits linked to risk for addictive and non-addictive psychopathology, the aim of this study is to examine the extent to which this approach is effective in preventing and/or reduce alcohol and drug misuse and concurrent psychiatric symptoms in young people. Method: 875 Participants aged 13-16 years will be screened for personality risk in school-wide self-report assessments. Participants will be randomly assigned to a personality matched cognitive-behavioural intervention or a no-intervention control. The personality matched interventions will target four personality risk factors: negative thinking (NT), anxiety sensitivity (AS), impulsivity (IMP) and sensation seeking (SS). Outcome evaluation will occur 6, 12, 18 and 24 months post intervention. Primary outcomes will be time to onset and severity of alcohol and illicit substance use and misuse. Secondary outcome variables will include depressive symptoms, panic attack rates, reckless and antisocial behaviour. Secondary analyses involving genetic, cognitive and coping skills measures will examine moderators of treatment effects. Hypotheses: It is expected that personality-targeted interventions will have personality-specific effects on aspects of addictive and non-addictive psychopathology to which each personality risk group is most susceptible.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPRE-Venture: Personality Risk Education
Motivational and Cognitive-Behavioural interventions targeting four personality risk factors for substance misuse. Two, 90-minute group sessions conducted at school with personality-matched peers and trained psychologists/councellors and co-facilitators.
Sponsors
Action on Addiction
King's College London
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
FACTORIAL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
13 Years to 16 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* secondary school student * scoring one standard deviation above the school mean on one of 4 personality dimensions. * Able to provide consent from parent/guardian for participation in the study
Exclusion criteria
* None
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Time to onset and severity of drug use | 2 years | time to illicit drug use events, assessed using the Reckless Behaviour Questionnaire |
| Frequency and Quantity of Drinking | 2 years | — |
| Problem drinking symptoms | 2 years | Assessed using an abbreviated version of the Rutger's Alcohol Problem Index |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Psychiatric symptoms (depression, panic anxiety, antisocial behaviours), coping skills, motives for drinking | 2 years | Assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Reckless Behaviour Questionnaire, and the Drinking Motives Questionnaire. |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed