CARESS: An Investigation of Effects of CARESS

Substance Abuse Clinical Trial

Official title: Communicate Alternatively, Release Endorphins, and Self-Soothe (CARESS) and Emotional Regulation for Cravings Management With Substance Use

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this research is to study the efficacy of an intervention that could interrupt the cycle of emotion dysregulation as it relates to cravings and negative emotions for those with problematic substance use behaviors. This will be a quantitative randomized control trial study with data collection at three points: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and same-day follow up. This study will be conducted at the Inova Behavioral Health Merrifield Center. Inova's addictions services program is the CATS program (formerly comprehensive addiction treatment services), which provides therapeutic interventions for those managing substance use disorders. The focus of measurement will be about the current state of the participant, and not a cumulative status. This one-session intervention. The goal is to have 96 participants in the study, 48 in each of the two groups.

Clinical Trial Description

The conceptual framework for the study is built on a foundation of three models found in the literature. The first of these is Gross's model of emotional regulation (ER), a goal-oriented linear process allowing for interventions at different phases in the experience. The individual has choices to: (1) avoid a situation all together; (2) deflect or distract from the situation; (3) reframe the situation; (4) or manage the physiological reactions. Adding on to this model, Koole expanded the framework, and reclassified the processes as tasks toward a goal, while adding an array of functions for each task. This includes where he/she is focusing, what he/she is thinking, and how he/she is responding. This allows the individual more choices in managing the emotions, depending on what he/she is trying to achieve. Finally, applying a taxonomy developed by Webb et al. (2012) of interventions to this framework, the identification of types of interventions is clarified. The framework is then applied to the proposed intervention, CARESS.

The proposed study will investigate a specific intervention and its efficacy at managing the acute effects for cravings, drug and drinking refusal self-efficacy, physiological responses, and affect disturbance for those with problematic substance use behaviors. The intervention is a one-time treatment session using CARESS in comparison to a control group who do not receive CARESS for those with problematic substance use behaviors. The aim is to investigate the difference in variances between pre, post, and follow up measurements for cravings, drug and drinking refusal skill self-efficacy, affect disturbance, and physiological responses for a one-time treatment session using CARESS in comparison to a control group for those with problematic substance use behaviors.

This is the initial study with respect to CARESS overall ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Affective; Reaction
• Craving
• Self Efficacy
• Substance Abuse
• Substance-Related Disorders

• NCT number: NCT03758027
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Inova Health Care Services
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: October 30, 2018
• Completion date: November 9, 2019