Alcohol Use Disorder
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to use a novel virtual reality intervention to test for efficacy in reducing alcohol use and increasing abstinence, with concomitant increases in future self-identification, future time perspective, and delay-of-reward, in early recovering alcohol use disorder (AUD) persons. The main question\[s\] this trial aims to answer are: Will the Virtual Reality (VR) intervention decrease the number of stimulant use days? Will the VR intervention produce longer abstinence periods during follow-up visits? Will the VR intervention increase alcohol abstinence rates? Will the VR intervention increase future self-identification? Will the VR intervention increase self-reported future time perspective? Will the VR intervention increase preference for delayed rewards in a laboratory delay discounting task on the study day? Will the VR intervention produce gains in the behavioral effects of future self-identification, future time perspective, and delayed rewards at the 30-day and 6-month follow-ups? Researchers will compare the experimental and control groups to see if there are differences in the results for the questions outlined above.
Interventions
DEVICEVirtual Reality
They will receive a Virtual Reality Park experience, which is an empty park with no avatars. They will then have a Virtual Reality Avatar experience, where they will see an avatar resembling themselves in a park setting.
Sponsors
Indiana University
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Masking description
All study participants are randomly assigned to a group prior to study enrollment. Participants will not be made aware of their group assignment.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Abstinence between ≥14 days and ≤1 year * Verbal endorsement of commitment to recovery * Outpatient * Psychotropic drugs for SUD-comorbidity * Drug/alcohol abstinence ≥ 24 hours at the time of the study day visit * English comprehension
Exclusion criteria
* Unstable medical disorders * Habitual drug use * Mu-opioid drugs * Smell/taste disorders * Unstable psychiatric conditions * Extravagant/elaborate face tattoos
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced Use of Drug Using Days | Day 2-Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit | The Virtual Reality Avatar experience will reduce drug using days. |
| Increased Length of Abstinence | Day 2-Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit. | The Virtual Reality Avatar experience will increase the length of abstinence periods. |
| Increased (overall) Abstinence | Day 2-Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit. | The Virtual Reality Avatar experience will increase abstinence. |
| Future Self-identification with Future Self Continuity Questionnaire | Day 2-Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit | The Virtual Reality Avatar experience will increase future self-identification. |
| Future Time Perspective with the Delayed Discounting Behavioral Task and Future Self Continuity Questionnaire | Day 2-Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit. | The Virtual Reality Avatar experience will increase future time perspective. |
| Delayed Reward Preference with the Delayed Discounting Behavioral Task | Day 2-Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit. | The Virtual Reality Avatar experience will increase preference for delayed rewards. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTSarah Turo, BA
CONTACTColton Lind, BS
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORBrandon G Oberlin, PhD
Indiana University
Outcome results
None listed