The Adaptation and Evaluation of the WHO's ASSIST-linked Brief Intervention to Khat-Using Ethiopian University Students

Summary

The leaves of the khat tree (catha edulis) are traditionally chewed in the countries around the Horn of Africa. They contain the amphetamine-like alkaloid cathinone and their use can produce a Substance Use Disorder. The researchers intent to validate an Amharic and an Oromo version of the WHO's ASSIST-linked Brief Intervention among khat-using Ethiopian university students. In an RCT, khat using students of Jimma University with initial motivation to stop or cut down khat use will be randomised to either an intervention or a control group. In the intervention group, the WHO's ASSIST-linked BI will be delivered in a single session by trained local counsellors. In the control group, participants will receive a neuropsychological assessment (Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices, SPM; Raven, 1972). Khat use, the neuropsychological variables and psychiatric symptoms will be assessed before the intervention and two weeks after it. Additionally, the researchers will measure the participants resistance during the session. The control group will receive the intervention after the post test. In order to study state variables that influence brief intervention effectivity, e.g. by increasing or reducing resistance, the researchers randomise subjects in each study arm to several short pre-interventions that are based on Gollwitzer's empirically well established Mindset Theory of Action Phases (for summary: Gollwitzer \& Keller, 2016). This means, before delivering the ASSIST-linked BI (intervention group) or before the SPM assessment (controlgroup) a specific psychological state will be induced by a brief writing task that theoretically should affect the openness to the intervention: (1) implemental mindset, (2) deliberative mindset, (3) no mindset induction. The researchers expect that khat use will be reduced more in the intervention condition compared to the control condition and that induced states influence the effectiveness of the intervention.

Conditions

• Khat Abuse

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

ASSIST-linked Brief Intervention

The intervention follows the WHO's ASSIST-linked Brief Intervention (Humenik et al., 2012; Humeniuk et al., 2010), a manualized one-session intervention that can be categorised as belonging to the Screening and Brief Intervention approach. It follows the FRAMES model (Bien et al., 1993) and contains techniques from Motivational Interviewing (Miller \& Rollnick, 1991).

BEHAVIORAL

Induction of Deliberative Mindset

Based on the Mindset Theory of Action Phases (Gollwitzer \& Keller, 2016), a brief writing task (writing down pros and cons for an unresolved personal problem of the participant's own choice) is used to induce a specific psychological state in which the individual is cognitively open to process new information.

BEHAVIORAL

Induction of Implemental Mindset

Based on the Mindset Theory of Action Phases (Gollwitzer \& Keller, 2016), a brief writing task (writing down steps necessary to implement a personal decision of the participant's choice that has not yet been put into practice) is used to induce a specific psychological state in which the individual is cognitively not open to process new information.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Jimma University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Konstanz

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Michael Odenwald, PhD · University of Konstanz

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

45 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2018-11-15

Primary Completion

2019-01-15

Completion

2019-01-31

Countries

• Ethiopia

Study Locations