NCT Number: NCT05287711
This is a study to provide much-needed experimental data on the efficacy of a brief alcohol Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) pre-group intervention for Veterans receiving group treatment for IPV perpetration. The investigators will compare those assigned to receive this 2-session MET intervention to those receiving a 2-session Alcohol Education (AE) intervention or a 2-session standard treatment as usual (TAU) telephone monitoring intervention. The investigators will examine whether MET leads to greater reductions in alcohol use problems and IPV perpetration, and increased help-seeking behavior for alcohol use problems. Participants will be 300 Veterans drawn from the Strength at Home IPV intervention program across the entire Veterans Health Administration system.
Interested in participating?
Request Info18 year and older
All sexes
Interventional
Not applicable
VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus, Jamaica Plain, MA, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Veterans exposed to trauma are at elevated risk for perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) and for the development of alcohol-related problems. Despite commonly found associations between alcohol misuse and IPV, the investigators are aware of no prior research in Veterans examining the impact of adjunctive alcohol interventions for those receiving IPV intervention. The investigators propose to provide much-needed experimental data on the efficacy of a brief 2-session alcohol Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) pre-group intervention for Veterans receiving group treatment for IPV perpetration. More specifically, the investigators propose to examine whether those assigned to receive this 2-session MET intervention, relative to those receiving a 2-session Alcohol Education (AE) intervention or a 2-session standard treatment as usual (TAU) telephone monitoring intervention, evidence greater reductions in alcohol use problems and IPV perpetration, and increased help-seeking behavior for alcohol use problems. Participants will be 300 Veterans drawn from the Strength at Home IPV intervention program across the entire Veterans Health Administration system. Participants will be randomized to their pre-group conditions and then assigned to Strength at Home groups for IPV, and will receive referrals for substance use treatment in the VA system or the community. Participants with clinically relevant alcohol use problems, as determined by baseline screening measures, will complete assessments of alcohol use, readiness to change, IPV and help-seeking behavior at baseline, post IPV intervention group (3 months after completion of 2-session alcohol intervention), and four separate 3-month follow-ups after the post-treatment assessment. Differences between conditions on the major outcome variables involving alcohol use, IPV, help-seeking, and treatment engagement will be examined with random-effects regression models using an intent-to-treat approach. Study findings may assist in enhancing the efficacy of IPV interventions for the Veteran population to help ensure the safety and well-being of Veterans and their families.
Healthy volunteers accepted: No
Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.
Inclusion criteria
All Veteran participants must meet the following eligibility criteria:
Exclusion criteria
In Session 1, the therapist provides personalized feedback on a range of assessment variables, including alcohol consumption levels, negative consequences from alcohol use, and family risk of alcoholism. Sessions 2-4 are follow-through sessions in which the therapist attempts to help the Veteran participant establish or reaffirm a commitment to an action plan for addressing alcohol concerns.
Other names: MET
Will consist of 4 weekly individual sessions, approximately 60 minutes each. AE therapists will explain that their job is to provide the Veteran participants with information and education about the effects of alcohol, and that it is up to the Veteran participant to use this information as he sees fit. In each session, the Veteran participant will watch an educational videotape in a comfortable consulting room and will be given an opportunity to discuss the videotape with the project therapist for approximately 10 minutes. Written educational materials will supplement the information provided in the videos, and the therapist will ask several structured questions to determine whether the Veteran participant understood the material presented in the video.
Other names: AE
Supportive telephone monitoring sessions that ensure equal spacing between assessments across conditions and equal number of therapist contacts.
Other names: TAU
IPV intervention which consists of 12 weekly, 2-hour cognitive-behavioral sessions offered in a closed group format and co-led by doctoral level male and female therapists. Strength at Home is based on a social information processing model of trauma and IPV and provides material covering psychoeducation regarding trauma and IPV, conflict and anger management skills, assertiveness training, and skills in stress management and communication.
Other names: SAH
Time frame: Baseline, post-treatment, three-month, six-month, nine-month, and twelve-month follow-ups
Participants will be shown a standard drink equivalent chart and will answer questions about their typical alcohol consumption quantity (in standard drink units) on weekdays and weekend days, typical drinking frequency (number of consumption days per week) on weekdays and weekend days, and the highest number of standard drinks consumed at a single occasion during the prior 3 months. If participants work unusual schedules, they will be asked to define the weekend as their day or days off from work. If participants report periods of abstinence and periods of drinking in the previous 3 months, the questions will pertain to periods of drinking. Scores will not be reported on a scale, so there are no minimum and maximum values to report.
Time frame: Baseline, post-treatment, three-month, six-month, nine-month, and twelve-month follow-ups
Intimate partner violence (IPV) will be measured using the CTS2, administered to the client regarding their IPV at baseline and follow-up assessments. We will administer only the Physical Assault (12 items) and Psychological Aggression (8 items) subscales to limit respondent burden and because these are most relevant to study hypotheses. The minimum value is 0 and the maximum value is 8. Higher scores represent higher rates of IPV, except for 7 and 8, which represent year and lifetime use and experience of IPV. Variety scores will be calculated for the CTS2 so that scores reflect the number of positively endorsed IPV behaviors (rather than estimates of IPV frequency). This scoring method is considered more reliable, less skewed, more balanced (since high frequency, less severe aggressive behaviors may outweigh the influence of more severe but less frequent violence), and less influenced by recall errors than other methods.
Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.
VA Office of Research and Development
Fed
Adjunctive Motivational Alcohol Intervention to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence
Acronym: MET-SAH
OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.
View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.
Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.
NCT03294460
Alcohol Drinking, Behavior
Bethesda, Maryland, United States
View Trial DetailsNCT05807139
Alcohol Drinking, Alcohol Use Disorder
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
View Trial DetailsNCT05729256
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Alcohol Drinking
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
View Trial DetailsNCT06158880
Alcohol Drinking, Behavior
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
View Trial Details