Component Analysis for Motivational Interviewing

Sponsor

Northwell Health (Other)

Overall Status

Completed

CT.gov ID

NCT01642381

Collaborator

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (NIH)

139

Enrollment

Location

Arms

Duration (Months)

2.7

Patients Per Site Per Month

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate the critical components of motivational interviewing (MI), a psychotherapeutic intervention, in reducing heavy or problematic drinking. The study will disaggregate MI into its component parts and test full MI compared to MI without its directive strategies. This study will test whether the directive elements of MI are critical or whether MI effects may be attributable solely to its Rogerian, non-directive components. For more information, go to http://caspirnyc.org/p_motion.html

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Alcohol-Related Disorders Alcohol Use Disorders Alcohol Drinking Alcoholism Alcohol Abuse	Behavioral: Full Motivational Interviewing ("FMI") Behavioral: Spirit Only Motivational Interviewing ("SOMI")	N/A

Detailed Description

Project Motion is a clinical research study for people seeking to reduce, but not stop their drinking. Individuals who qualify will receive a comprehensive assessment and brief individual psychotherapy at no cost. The study is being conducted by a team of scientists at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the New York State Psychiatric Institute and is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Our offices are located next to Columbus Circle and we offer convenient hours for appointments.

The purpose of our study is to understand how brief psychotherapy helps people reduce alcohol consumption and drinking problems. For example, we know that some people can reduce drinking with little or no treatment, whereas others benefit from one-on-one psychotherapy. However, we do not know why this happens. Individuals who qualify and decide to participate will be assigned by chance to one of three conditions. Individuals assigned to the first two conditions will receive brief psychotherapy, beginning the first week of their participation in the study. Individuals in the third condition will receive feedback on their drinking and be asked to reduce their drinking with the aid of telephone self-monitoring for a period of 8 weeks. Individuals in the third condition will then receive psychotherapy as well. The delay of 8 weeks will allow us to understand how the psychotherapy works compared to how people change without counseling.

Study Design

Study Type:

Interventional

Actual Enrollment :

139 participants

Allocation:

Randomized

Intervention Model:

Parallel Assignment

Masking:

None (Open Label)

Primary Purpose:

Treatment

Official Title:

Component Analysis for Motivational Interviewing

Study Start Date :

May 1, 2012

Actual Primary Completion Date :

Apr 1, 2016

Actual Study Completion Date :

Aug 1, 2016

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/Treatment
Active Comparator: Psychotherapy	Behavioral: Full Motivational Interviewing ("FMI") Relational and technical technical (directive) strategies in counselling sessions to significantly increase commitment strength to reduce drinking. Behavioral: Spirit Only Motivational Interviewing ("SOMI") Empathic and non-directive counselling based on Rogerian psychotherapy model.
No Intervention: Self-Change Control ("SCC") SCC participants will be told that they should attempt to reduce their drinking over the course of 8 weeks. (If unsuccessful, they will be offered Full Motivational Interviewing therapy sessions.)

Arm

Intervention/Treatment

Active Comparator: Psychotherapy

Behavioral: Full Motivational Interviewing ("FMI")

Relational and technical technical (directive) strategies in counselling sessions to significantly increase commitment strength to reduce drinking.

Behavioral: Spirit Only Motivational Interviewing ("SOMI")

Empathic and non-directive counselling based on Rogerian psychotherapy model.

No Intervention: Self-Change Control ("SCC")

SCC participants will be told that they should attempt to reduce their drinking over the course of 8 weeks. (If unsuccessful, they will be offered Full Motivational Interviewing therapy sessions.)

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

Time Line Follow Back [36 weeks]
Calendar-based method of recording drinking patterns. Data will be aggregated into summary variables including sum of standard drinks, mean drinks per drinking day, and percent days heavy drinking at multiple time points.

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years to 65 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Inclusion Criteria:

Primary current diagnosis of Alcohol Use Disorder
Meets DSM-IV criteria for inability to control or cut down on drinking
Have an average weekly consumption of >24 standard drinks for men and >15 standard drinks for women
Show no evidence of significant cognitive impairment
Are willing to reduce drinking to non-hazardous levels
Not seeking to quit drinking
Agree not to seek additional substance abuse treatment during treatment period
Fluent in English

Exclusion Criteria:

Have a current DSM-IV diagnosis of drug dependence (other than nicotine/marijuana)
Have a serious psychiatric illness (e.g., psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression) or substantial suicide or violence risk
Have clinically severe alcoholism as evidenced by a history of significant medical problems associated with drinking, seizures or severe withdrawal symptoms, or an inpatient treatment episode for drinking
Legally mandated to receive substance abuse treatment
Sufficiently socially unstable as to preclude completion of study requirements (e.g., homeless)