Anxiety Disorder, Hazardous Drinking, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Conditions
Keywords
Veterans, Anxiety, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Alcohol Drinking, Psychosocial functioning
Brief summary
Individual with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder often use alcohol in ways that could cause them harm. Treating both mental health concerns and alcohol use at the same time can help reduce difficulties engaging in multiple treatments. The investigators are evaluating how a cognitive behavioral therapy program that helps Veterans with anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and alcohol use at the same time can help improve the participants lives.
Detailed description
Co-occurring hazardous drinking, anxiety disorders, and PTSD are problematic combinations of mental health concerns experienced by deployed Veterans. Veterans who have been deployed are at particular risk for experiencing problems in functioning and reintegration related to mental health disorders and hazardous drinking. Co-occurring anxiety and hazardous drinking heavily impact psychosocial functioning and quality of life. Although cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) can promote psychological recovery through improvements in functioning and quality of life, most CBT protocols do not address co-occurring disorders, leading to inefficient and disjointed treatment. The current research seeks to adapt and test the Unified Protocol (UP) for deployed Veterans with hazardous drinking. The use of combined CBT for both anxiety disorders and hazardous drinking has the potential to more efficiently and effectively improve functioning, reduce symptoms, and promote psychosocial recovery.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALUnified Protocol- Alcohol
Transdiagnostic cognitive behavior therapy for emotional disorders modified to include CBT for alcohol use.
BEHAVIORALUsual care
referrals to VA care for SUD and anxiety
Sponsors
VA Office of Research and Development
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Participants will be randomized to receive the intervention or a control intervention.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* meeting diagnostic criteria for current anxiety disorder and * endorsing hazardous alcohol use
Exclusion criteria
-need for acute medically-supervised detoxification with exclusionary criteria of * high-risk suicidality * psychotic symptoms, or * cognitive impairment that could interfere with engagement in weekly psychotherapy
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Social Adjustment Scale- Self Report | 2-weeks | Evaluates individuals' satisfaction with social situation. Greater scores reflect greater social/occupational impairment (range 42-210). |
| Beck Anxiety Inventory | past 30 days | Evaluates levels of anxiety in past month. Higher scores reflect greater anxiety (range 0-63). |
| Addiction Severity Index | 30 days | Assessment of substance use and related problems. Higher scores in each domain indicate problems related to substance use in that domain (range for each domain 0-1). |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORAnthony Ecker, PhD
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX
Outcome results
None listed