Alcohol Abuse, Alcohol Addiction
Conditions
Keywords
randomized controlled trial, alcohol, internet, internet based therapy, cognitive behavior therapy
Brief summary
The purpose of this study was to determine whether a 10-week internet-based program based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is effective in the treatment of alcohol problems, and if having therapist guidance leads to greater effects.
Detailed description
Objectives: An 10 week Internet-based self-help program based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was tested among Internet help seekers.The design was a three-armed randomized controlled design, and outcomes were measured in terms of changes in problematic alcohol use, as well as depression, anxiety and quality of life. 80 participants were recruited entirely online from an open access website and randomized into three different groups. All participants had access to the same self-help program. However, one group was given a choice between two forms of therapist guidance (messages or weekly chat sessions), one group received therapist guidance in the form of secure messages, and one group received no therapist guidance.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALChoice
A self help program consisting of 8 modules and access to therapist guidance either through messages or through chat sessions
BEHAVIORALMessages
A self help program consisting of 8 modules and access to therapist guidance through messages
BEHAVIORALSelf help
A self help program consisting of 8 modules
Sponsors
Karolinska Institutet
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* ≥ 18 years * access to the Internet * problematic alcohol use defined as ≥ 8 p or more for men and ≥ 6 p or more for women in the Alcohol Use Identification Scale
Exclusion criteria
• not adequately fluent in Swedish
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Time Line Follow Back (TLFB) | Baseline and 10 weeks | Change in total TLFB score (consumption during preceding week), as a summarized measure of alcohol consumption |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) | Baseline and 10 weeks | Change in total AUDIT score, as a summarized measure of alcohol use (including alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems) |
| Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) | Baseline and 10 weeks | Change in total HADS score, as a summarized measure of depression and anxiety, respectively |
| EQ5 | Baseline and 10 weeks | Change in total EQ5 score, as a summarized measure of quality of life |
| WHOQOL-BREF | Baseline and 10 weeks | Change in total WHOQOL-BREF score, as a summarized measure of quality of life |
Countries
Sweden
Outcome results
None listed