Interventions for Unemployed Hazardous Drinkers
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
Despite recent improvements in the US economy, unemployment remains a significant concern, and estimates indicate that one-third of unemployed persons drink at hazardous levels, adversely impacting their health and abilities to find jobs. Reinforcement interventions are highly efficacious in reducing substance use, and they can be applied to increase job-seeking activities as well. In partnership with CT United Labor Agency, this project is designed to reduce hazardous drinking and enhance active participation in job-seeking activities among those with job loss. It will evaluate the independent and combined effects of reinforcing negative breathalyzer samples and job-seeking activities to ascertain the simplest and most cost-effective approach to improving outcomes in this population. Unemployed individuals with hazardous drinking (N = 280) will be randomly assigned to one of four conditions using a 2 x 2 design: standard care, standard care with reinforcement for submitting negative breathalyzer samples, standard care with reinforcement for job-seeking activities, or standard care plus reinforcement for both negative breathalyzer samples and job-seeking activities. Participants in all conditions will receive usual services part of CT United Labor Agency, along with a novel remote breath alcohol monitoring procedure. The study interventions will be in effect for three months, and participants will be followed for one year. Alcohol and other drug use, employment, psychiatric symptoms, and global measures of health will be assessed throughout treatment and follow-up. Reinforcing negative breathalyzer samples is expected to significantly reduce drinking, and reinforcing job-seeking activities is expected to increase re-employment rates and reduce time until job attainment. Reinforcing both negative breathalyzer samples and job-seeking activities is hypothesized to improve outcomes along both domains. The reinforcement interventions may also decrease psychiatric distress and slow progression of physical decline, common among the unemployed. If efficacious and cost-effective, results from this study may stimulate adoption of reinforcement interventions in the context of unemployment services. Reducing the adverse consequences of hazardous drinking and improving job re-entry may have pronounced benefits in a highly vulnerable segment of the US population.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Active Comparator: job activity contracting Standard services plus job activity contracting and alcohol monitoring |
Behavioral: activity contracting
Participants will complete job-related activity contracts each week with the goal of obtaining employment.
|
| Experimental: reinforcement for negative alcohol samples Standard services plus job activity contracting and alcohol monitoring plus reinforcement for negative breath alcohol recordings |
Behavioral: contingency management for alcohol abstinence
Participants will earn chances to win prizes for each negative breath alcohol recording provided.
Behavioral: activity contracting
Participants will complete job-related activity contracts each week with the goal of obtaining employment.
|
| Experimental: reinforcement for completing activities Standard services plus job activity contracting and alcohol monitoring plus reinforcement for completing job-related activities |
Behavioral: contingency management for activity completion
Participants will earn chances to win prizes for completing specific job-related activities.
Behavioral: activity contracting
Participants will complete job-related activity contracts each week with the goal of obtaining employment.
|
| Experimental: reinforcement for negative alcohol samples & activities Standard services plus job activity contracting and alcohol monitoring plus reinforcement for negative breath alcohol recordings and for completing job-related activities |
Behavioral: contingency management for alcohol abstinence
Participants will earn chances to win prizes for each negative breath alcohol recording provided.
Behavioral: contingency management for activity completion
Participants will earn chances to win prizes for completing specific job-related activities.
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- longest duration of negative breath alcohol samples in a row (physiological measure) [12 weeks]
most days in a row of negative breath samples submitted
- Percent negative breath alcohol recordings [12 weeks]
- Percent days worked for pay [52 weeks]
- time to job attainment [52 weeks]
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
-
age 18-65 years
-
receiving unemployment services
-
alcohol use
-
English-speaking and able to read at a 5th grade level
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have a valid photo ID
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willing and able to use study equipment and sign an off-campus property transfer form
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able to pass an informed consent quiz
Exclusion Criteria:
- have a condition that may hinder study participation
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Labor Agency | Middletown | Connecticut | United States | 06457 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- UConn Health
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Carla J Rash, Ph.D., UConn Health
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- 15-041-2
- R01AA023502