Skip to content

Evaluating a Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Hazardous Alcohol Use: A Pilot Study in South Korea

Development, Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Effectiveness of a Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Hazardous Alcohol Drinking: A Single-Arm Pilot Study With Predictive Modeling in South Korea

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06502756
Enrollment
17
Registered
2024-07-16
Start date
2023-05-26
Completion date
2023-08-24
Last updated
2024-07-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Hazardous Alcohol Use, High-risk Drinkers

Keywords

digital intervention, mobile app, high-risk drinkers, hazardous alcohol use, secondary prevention, digital cognitive behavioral therapy, digital health

Brief summary

The goal of this single arm pilot study is to investigate the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of the mobile app SOBER; for reducing and preventing hazardous alcohol drinking. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Feasibility: How well participants adhere to the app's lessons? * Acceptability: Participants' satisfaction with and perceived usefulness of the app. * Preliminary Effectiveness: The number of days participants remain abstinent. Participants will: * Use the mobile application SOBER, which delivers digital cognitive behavioral therapy, for four weeks. * Wear a smartwatch to collect biometric data throughout the study. * Visit the clinic three times: at baseline (V1), two weeks after the initial visit (V2), and four weeks after the initial visit (V3). * Be evaluated using various questionnaires about their alcohol consumption, mood, and stress levels at each visit. * Receive psychiatric consultation with a board-certified psychiatrist regarding their alcohol consumption, based on the data entered into the mobile app.

Interventions

DEVICESOBER, mobile Application providing digital CBT

SOBER is a software application (Android) that delivers cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in a structured and interactive manner. It analyzes patterns in participants' lifestyles to identify problematic behaviors related to their alcohol consumption. By providing tailored guidance and support, the app aims to help individuals make sustainable changes, ultimately reducing hazardous drinking. This approach combines the principles of CBT with the convenience and accessibility of digital technology, offering a personalized experience to support the reduction of alcohol consumption.

Sponsors

Yonsei University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

uncontrolled, single-arm, pilot study

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
19 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Individuals aged between 19 and 65 years. * Individuals classified as high-risk drinkers (hazardous drinking): Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) score of 8 or higher * Individuals who have been admitted for treatment of alcohol use disorder no more than once. * Individuals who are assessed to have completed detoxification treatment for alcohol. * Individuals who own a smartphone and can independently use apps on the smartphone. * Individuals who voluntarily agree to participate in this clinical study and have signed the consent form (or whose representative has signed the consent form).

Exclusion criteria

* individuals with active and progressive physical illnesses or a life expectancy of less than 6 months * individuals with major psychiatric comorbidities such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder * pregnant women or those planning to become pregnant during the study * individuals who had participated in another clinical study within four weeks prior to the screening for this study

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Study completion rateFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeksThe feasibility of the intervention was assessed based on the completion rates of the study
Adherence rateFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeksThe adherence rate of educational sessions in the application
Preliminary Effectivenessasked at baseline (V1), two weeks (V2), and four weeks (V3).days abstinent (%) in the past two weeks
AcceptabilityIn the end of treatment at 4 weeksassessed through participant satisfaction and perceived usefulness of the app, evaluated using a Likert-scale. Participants were asked to rate their satisfaction with the app on a scale from 0 (Not satisfied at all) to 5 (Very satisfied); and usefulness of the app from 0 (Not useful at all) to 5 (Very useful).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)Administered at baseline (V1), two weeks (V2), and four weeks (V3).The PHQ-9 is a 9-item self-administered scale for assessing the severity of depression. Score Range: 0-27. : Higher scores indicate more severe depression. Scores of 10 or above suggest the need for treatment of depression.
Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol Scale (CIWA-Ar)Administered at baseline (V1), two weeks (V2), and four weeks (V3).The CIWA-Ar is a 10-item scale used to assess the severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Score Range: 0-67. Higher scores indicate more severe withdrawal symptoms. Scores of 10 or above indicate the need for medical intervention.
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) ScoreAdministered at baseline (V1), two weeks (V2), and four weeks (V3).The AUDIT is a 10-item questionnaire designed to assess alcohol consumption, drinking behaviors, and alcohol-related problems. Higher scores indicate more severe alcohol-related issues. A score of 8 or above suggests hazardous or harmful alcohol use. Score Range: 0-40
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7)Administered at baseline (V1), two weeks (V2), and four weeks (V3).The GAD-7 is a 7-item self-report scale for identifying probable cases of generalized anxiety disorder and assessing its severity. Score Range: 0-21. Higher scores indicate more severe anxiety. Scores of 10 or above suggest the presence of generalized anxiety disorder.
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)Administered at baseline (V1), two weeks (V2), and four weeks (V3).The PSS is a 10-item questionnaire measuring the perception of stress. Score Range: 0-40. Higher scores indicate higher perceived stress levels. There are no specific cut-off scores; rather, scores indicate the relative level of stress perceived by the individual

Countries

South Korea

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026