Mindfulness-Based Recovery in Veterans

The TLFB will be used to obtain retrospective self-report of alcohol and illicit drug (e.g., cocaine, marijuana, stimulants, sedatives, opioids) use using calendar and memory prompts to stimulate recall. The TLFB yields consistently high test-retest correlations and correlates well with other self-reports and collateral reports. Quantity and frequency assessments as well as time-to-event measures can be obtained. Drug/alcohol use in treatment up to 8 weeks will be assessed.

The TLFB will be used to obtain retrospective self-report of alcohol and illicit drug (e.g., cocaine, marijuana, stimulants, sedatives, opioids) use using calendar and memory prompts to stimulate recall. The TLFB yields consistently high test-retest correlations and correlates well with other self-reports and collateral reports (Carey, 1997). Quantity and frequency assessments as well as time-to-event measures can be obtained. Drug/alcohol use during treatment through10 months will be assessed.

The TLFB will be used to obtain retrospective self-report of alcohol and illicit drug (e.g., cocaine, marijuana, stimulants, sedatives, opioids) use using calendar and memory prompts to stimulate recall. The TLFB yields consistently high test-retest correlations and correlates well with other self-reports and collateral reports. Quantity and frequency assessments as well as time-to-event measures can be obtained. Participants that failed to return for any treatment or follow up visits are considered censored at study day 1.

This is a 15-item self-report instrument rating the frequency of experiencing impaired moment-to-moment attention on a 6-point Likert scale. Scores range from 1- 6 with higher scores indicating higher levels of mindfulness. This measure explores the relationship between MAAS scores and treatment response.

This 21-item self-report scale will be used to assess for worsening depression/suicidality in safety monitoring. Scores range from 0 - 63 with higher scores indicating more severe depression.

This 21-item self-report scale has symptom clusters reflecting neurophysiological, subjective, panic, and autonomic dimensions. Scores range from 0-63 with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety.

Observed urine samples will be collected with a RapidCHECK Multi-Drug 10 Panel Test, which allows detection of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)/marijuana, cocaine, phencyclidine, opiates, methamphetamines, methadone, amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines and uses concentrations levels established by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Osmolality and temperature assessed at collection time to insure sample validity.

The conjugated alcohol metabolite ethyl glucuronide (EtG) remains positive in urine for several days following cessation and is a useful biomarker of recent drinking in outpatient settings (Dahl 2011). This will be used as the primary biologic assessment of drinking status as breathalyzer tests only assess very recent alcohol use. The assay will be done in the Charleston VAMC laboratory on samples collected at baseline, end of treatment and 3-, 6-, and 10-month follow-up visits.

This standardized, multidimensional, semi-structured interview provides information concerning functioning in six domains commonly impacted by substance abuse: alcohol/drug, medical, psychiatric, legal, family/social and employment. The alcohol/drug scale composite score will be reported to determine severity of alcohol/drug problem severity. The average range is 0 (denoting a better outcome) to 1 ( denoting a worse outcome).

The PWAC will be used to assess self-reported days engaged in structured, volunteer, or employed work activity of at least 1 hour in duration. VISTA queries using Compensated Work Therapy and Veterans Enrichment Program stop codes will be run for medical record corroboration. Activities outside of the VA will be included.

The TAC will be used to assess the total number of days treated for a substance abuse/mental health problem in the VA or other outpatient setting, 12-step or self-help group meetings, physician contacts and,hospitalization by treatment group. The TAC measure represent the total number of days experiencing any of these events by treatment group.

This 16-item scale, used to assess satisfaction with major areas of life function, has convergent and discriminant construct validity in chronic illness as evidenced by high correlations between the QOLS total score and Life Satisfaction Index. Scores range from 1 = 112 with higher scores indicating higher satisfaction with quality of life.

Observed urine samples will be collected with a RapidCHECK Multi-Drug 10 Panel Test, which allows detection of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)/marijuana, cocaine, phencyclidine, opiates, methamphetamines, methadone, amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines and uses concentrations levels established by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Osmolality and temperature assessed at collection time to insure sample validity.

The MINI is a well-standardized structured interview which is similar in sensitivity, specificity, and inter-rater reliability to other more lengthy diagnostic interviews, such as the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. A DSM-V version of the MINI is not available, so DSM-IV criteria will be utilized. The MINI will be used at baseline to assess psychiatric diagnoses for inclusion/exclusion and urn randomization purposes.

This brief, well-validated instrument will be used at baseline to screen for cognitive impairment that could interfere with ability to benefit from MBRP. A cut-off of 26/30 is considered normal. Scores range from 0 - 30 with lower scores indicating mores severe cognitive impairment.