CanCope: Digital Intervention for Coping With Cannabis Craving

The CanCope Study is a micro-randomized trial conducted to gather evidence about and compare the effectiveness of a momentary intervention to help young adults cope with cannabis cravings as they attempt to reduce their use.

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Key information

Conditions

Cannabis Use

Age range

19 year–25 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Center for Technology and Behavioral Health

Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03766, United States

About this study

The CanCope Study is designed to test the effectiveness of two distinct strategies (mindfulness and distraction) to cope with cannabis cravings in young adults (19 - 25 years) who are attempting to reduce their cannabis use. Cannabis use is determined using a single-item question about the number of days out of the past 30 days the individual used cannabis. Young adults who reported using cannabis >10 out of the past 30 days, who were not pregnant or breastfeeding, and who were not currently in treatment for problems related to substance use were eligible to enroll in this four-week study.

The CanCope intervention was delivered to participants through the MetricWire app, which was available for download on the participants' personal smartphones. Participants were asked to complete five ecological momentary assessments (EMA) per day, which asked questions related to cannabis use including one question about current level of craving on a scale of 0 - 10. If a participant reported a craving level >4, a message was sent via the app encouraging the participant to try a mindfulness or distraction coping strategy, or the participant received a thank-you for completing the EMA which served as an attention control.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Used cannabis at least 10 out of the past 30 days

Exclusion criteria

Currently pregnant or breastfeeding
Currently in treatment for problems related to substance use

Treatment and study plan

CanCope

Behavioral

Messages prompted participants to use mindfulness-based or distraction-based coping strategies, or a thank-you message which served as an attention control. If participants reported elevated craving (4 or greater) prior to a decision point, they received either a coping strategy message or a control message. If participants reported craving levels of less than 4 they received a control message.

Primary outcomes

Average Craving Level - Active vs. Control Messages

Time frame: Minimum 2.8 hours after each decision point; Maximum 12.8 hours after each decision point

Participants were asked to rate their level of cannabis craving on a scale of 0 - 10 five times per day where higher scores indicate more craving. Participants were considered available for randomization when craving >=4 and they clicked the intervention message in the study app. To determine the effect of messaging on craving, we will calculate the average craving level for each EMA eligible for intervention and randomized to receive an active coping strategy message or a control message. It was pre-specified based on a priori power analyses for this small pilot study to combine the "mindfulness-based coping strategies" and "distraction-based coping strategies" interventions in the "Active Message" Row". Craving levels will be averaged across randomized observations. There were up to 140 decision points (5 EMAs per day x 28 days) per participant for the intervention period.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Trustees of Dartmouth College

Other

Collaborators

University of Michigan

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2021
Primary completion: 2021
Study completion: 2021
First posted: Apr 14, 2022
Registry last updated: Jan 22, 2025

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.

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Completed