Cannabis Use
Conditions
Brief summary
The present study aims to address disparities in cannabis use outcomes among African American/Black (hereby referred to as Black) adults with cannabis use disorder (CUD). The specific aims of this study are: (1) to develop a culturally adapted, mobile app for Black cannabis users (CT-MICART) using knowledge from the current research team, published literature, expert opinion, and feedback from the Community Research Advisory Board (CRAB), (2) to pilot test CT-MICART and (3) focus on analysis of data collected as part of Aim 2.
Detailed description
The present study aims to address disparities in cannabis use outcomes among African American/Black (hereby referred to as Black) adults with cannabis use disorder (CUD). African American/Black adults are more likely to endorse cannabis use patterns that are more severe (weekly and blunt use) and meet diagnostic criteria for cannabis use disorder (CUD) than White adults (16.8% vs 10.0%). This finding is alarming as cannabis use disorder is associated with more severe psychosocial risk profiles, including poly-substance use, psychiatric problems, and legal trouble relative to non-CUD use and non-use. Additionally, although Black cannabis users are more likely to report being ready to quit and a recent quit attempt relative to White cannabis users, this population is less likely to seek in-person treatment relative to White cannabis users because of individual (e.g., beliefs about use), community (e.g., neighborhood attitudes about use), and institutional (e.g., healthcare access) factors as well as due to institutionalized racism and discrimination (e.g., more likely to not be listened to by practitioners). Targeted, accessible, and culturally adapted therapeutic programming is needed to reduce risk and improve disparities for poor cannabis-related outcomes among Black adults with cannabis use disorder. These findings are significant because they contribute to heath, social, and psychological health disparities within the Black community. Psycho-sociocultural models of substance use posit that Black individuals may use cannabis and continue using despite cannabis-related problems including cannabis use disorder, to manage psychological distress associated with stressors associated with minority status, such as racial discrimination. Therefore, the present study seeks to develop a culturally adapted, mobile app tailored specifically for Black cannabis users (CT-MICART). Using the expert opinion and feedback from the community Research Advisory Board (CRAB), the investigative team will pilot test CT-MICART and focus on analysis of data collected to help achieve a better culturally tailored app.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCT-MICART App
App designed with the goal of treating CUD in African American adults
BEHAVIORALControl
App designed with the goal of treating CUD in African American adults, with participants just tracking their use of cannabis and not receiving treatment videos
Sponsors
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans
University of Oklahoma
University of Houston
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* at least 18 years of age * identify as Black/African American * CUD per CUPIT-R * willing and able to complete study appointments * motivated to reduce cannabis (≥5 on a 10-point scale) * score ≥ 4 on the REALM-SF indicating ≥ 6th grade English literacy level (needed to use app) * report cannabis use to manage anxiety/stress in the past month
Exclusion criteria
* legal mandate or substance misuse treatment * report of current or intended participation in a concurrent substance use treatment, including pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy for CUD not provided by researchers * ongoing psychotherapy of any duration directed specifically toward the treatment of anxiety or depression * not being fluent in English * pregnant of planning to become pregnant within the next six months (assessed via self-report)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Safety Aid Scale | Baseline appointment and 6-week follow up appointment | The Safety Aid Scale will be used to assess change of false safety behavior use over time, being scored on a 5 point scale where higher scores indicate greater use of false safety behaviors. |
| Qualitative Interview | 6-week follow up appointment | The qualitative interview done by the participants will ask them about their experience with the app, what aspects helped, what aspects didn't help, and will allow researchers to adapt and refine the CT-MICART app. |
| Engagement with the CT-MICART app | Week 1-6 | Behavioral indicators of engagement with the app (\>75% of all videos watched and \>75% of scheduled skills practiced). |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed