A Comparison of Adolescent Group Therapy and Transitional Family Therapy for Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Abusers

Alcohol Dependence Clinical Trial

Official title:

Family and Group Therapies for Adolescent Alcohol Abuse

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Active, not recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00484367
• Other study ID #: NIAAA-STA12178
• Secondary ID: R01AA012178NIH G
• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Phase: Phase 2/Phase 3
• First received: June 7, 2007
• Last updated: August 25, 2011
• Start date: July 1999
• Est. completion date: August 2012

Study information

• Verified date: November 2008
• Source: The Morton Center, Inc.
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Federal Government
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of two psychosocially-based, manual-driven, behavioral modalities. One of these is a standardized version of the established modality of Adolescent Group Therapy (AGT), which includes both psychoeducational and therapeutic components. The other is a state-of-the-art family therapy approach, Transitional Family Therapy (TFT), which integrates management of the current problem with exploration of multigenerational issues. Both approaches have been developed to expressly target adolescent alcohol problems.

Description:

Despite well-founded societal concerns over the use of illicit drugs by youth, alcohol use has persisted for decades as the number one adolescent substance abuse problem in the U.S. Further, research has shown that the earlier the onset of alcohol use, the more likely is a person to develop alcohol dependence later, during adulthood. Consequently, the need is clear for interventions which will arrest this process at the earliest point possible. Hence, interventions that mobilize a youth's social systems to help that young person deal with the problem, i.e., the family and peer systems, would make sense from a number of standpoints. Two primary modalities developed to deal with such issues are those examined here: family therapy and group therapy.

The participants were males and females, ages 13-17 at intake, with a DSM-IV diagnosis of either alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence. Following random assignment to condition, basic treatment in both conditions was based on a 12-session model and took approximately 3-4 months, followed by 1-2 aftercare sessions over an additional 1-2 months. The treatment was provided by therapists who were already working within the community (as opposed, for instance, to graduate students). Follow-up assessments were obtained at 3 months post-treatment, 1 year post-treatment, and 2 years post-treatment, thus allowing determination of the extent to which treatment effects "held up" to a degree not attained by most of the previous outcome studies within this domain.

Comparisons: AGT and TFT are being compared on the extent to which their participants used alcohol, as well as other substances, during the three post-treatment periods. Other comparisons include school performance (grade point average), family relations/functioning, and involvement with the legal system.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Enrollment: 120
• Est. completion date: August 2012
• Est. primary completion date: August 2012
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 13 Years to 17 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male and female outpatients 13-17 years of age at intake.

• Participants had a current DSM-IV diagnosis of either alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence.

• Participants signed a witnessed informed consent.

• Parent or custodian of each (adolescent) participant signed a witnessed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants who met current DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder, or eating disorder.

• Enrollment in a residential substance abuse treatment program within 2 months prior to intake.

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Alcohol Abuse
• Alcohol Dependence
• Alcoholism
• Cannabis Abuse
• Cannabis Dependence
• Marijuana Abuse
• Other Substance Abuse

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Adolescent group therapy
Adolescent group therapy
• Transitional family therapy
Transitional family therapy

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	The Morton Center	Louisville	Kentucky

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
The Morton Center, Inc.	National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Alcohol use Cannabis use Other substance use		Baseline, 3 months post-treatment, 1 year post-treatment, and 2 years post-treatment	No