Building and Pilot Testing a Couples-based Smartphone Systems to Address Alcohol Use Disorder

Summary

This project will develop and pilot test a new smartphone-based system for AUD patients, their partners, and clinicians called PartnerCHESS. PartnerCHESS will integrate key features of ABCT and A-CHESS. PartnerCHESS will also include a Clinician Report to automatically alert clinicians of patients at risk of relapse and offer other information on how recovery is proceeding. The project has three specific aims:

1. Integrate A-CHESS with key features of ABCT to create PartnerCHESS to serve patients, partners, and clinicians.
2. Conduct a pilot test (a small randomized clinical trial) of PartnerCHESS to estimate effect size and refine the protocol, procedures, recruitment strategy, measurements, and operations for use in a large RCT.

3a. Decide whether to pursue an R01 application, and if so, 3b. plan for the R01.

Conditions

• Alcohol Use Disorder
• Couples
• Behavior, Addictive

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

PartnerCHESS

Patients randomized to the PartnerCHESS group will receive all A-CHESS services plus the following services from ABCT: Urge discussion. Daily EMAs will track preconditions for relapse (urges), review urge reduction options on PartnerCHESS, and encourage discussions between partners on the causes of and ways to reduce urges. Homework checklist. Tracks which interventions the couple is using/practicing, along with resources to help. Relapse plan. Monitoring and reminders of steps planned for relapse prevention. Reminders. Reminders to notice something positive in partner, of reasons to stay sober, to take meds, etc. Trigger identification and removal. During set-up, patient and partner enter triggers. PartnerCHESS will quiz couples on upcoming trigger events and remind them of ways to address each.

BEHAVIORAL

A-CHESS

A-CHESS control group

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Massachusetts, Worcester

  collaborator OTHER

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Wisconsin, Madison

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• David H Gustafson, PhD · University of Wisconsin, Madison

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-11-17

Primary Completion

2021-09-29

Completion

2021-09-29

Countries

• United States

Study Locations