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Exposure Therapy as Aftercare for Alcohol Use Disorder

NCT02298751 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 160

Last updated 2021-10-27

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Background: It is well documented that individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) respond well during evidence-based psychological treatment, but also that a large proportion relapse when discharged from treatment and confronted with alcohol in real life. Cue Exposure Therapy (CET) focuses on confronting alcohol cues in order to reduce cravings as well as the likelihood of relapse. The aim of this study is to investigate whether CET as aftercare increases the efficiency of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) among AUD individuals.

Design and methods: The study is implemented as an investigator-blinded randomized controlled trial. A total of 300 consecutively enrolled AUD patients, recruited from an alcohol outpatient clinic will be randomized to one of the three following aftercare treatment groups: (A) CET as a smartphone application (n = 100); (B) CET as group therapy (n = 100), and (C) Aftercare as Usual (n = 100). It is hypothesized that the two experimental groups ((A) and (B)) will achieve better treatment outcomes as compared to the control group ((C)), and It will be explored whether CET as smartphone application is as effective as CET as group therapy. The groups will be compared in a number of parameters including alcohol intake, cravings and copings-strategies.

Discussion: If the hypothesis, that CET increases the efficiency of CBT is verified, it will make sense to supplement CBT with CET as aftercare, hence, reintegrating CET within a CBT approach. Although, CET is most often regarded as one of the behavioral methods in CBT, there appears to be segregation in the empirical literature when it comes to treatment of addictive disorders. However, CET may allow the patient to practice and gain control over alcohol cue reactivity and associated high-risk situations in an inter-mediating therapeutic context before the patients inevitably are confronted by them. In this way, one might expect the transition from treatment to daily life less overwhelming and CET may help prevent relapse in the long term. Thus, CET may be particularly suitable as aftercare.

Conditions

  • Alcohol Use Disorders

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Cue Exposure Treatment

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Southern Denmark

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
60 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2015-05-31
Primary Completion
2019-12-31
Completion
2019-12-31

Countries

  • Denmark

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02298751 on ClinicalTrials.gov