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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04446910

Using Technology to Reduce Youth Substance Use

The research project will focus on conducting a trial of whether a tailored SMS text-messaging intervention is efficacious in improving justice-involved youths' substance use or dual diagnosis treatment attendance and engagement.

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Key information

Conditions

Drug Use Chemically-Induced Disorders Mental Disorders Substance-Related Disorders

Age range

13 year–18 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

UCSF Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital

San Francisco, California, 94131, United States

About this study

The study will demonstrate how delivery of motivational/coaching messages to justice-involved youth and their caregivers will lead to greater youth substance use treatment attendance and engagement. The study will start with identifying the feasibility and acceptability of the SMS text-messaging intervention with community-supervised justice-involved youth. Then, the study will determine whether the tailored dyadic (youth and caregiver) SMS text-messaging intervention improves justice-involved youth substance use or dual diagnosis treatment attendance and engagement relative to standard of care (not receiving motivational/coaching messages). Finally, the study will characterize patterns of key justice and behavioral health system-level factors that promote or hinder eventual adoption and sustainability of mHealth technology as a tool to improve treatment attendance for justice-involved youth.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • English-speaking youth with willing adult caregiver
  • Ages 13-18
  • Justice-involved while living in the community
  • Own a mobile phone or tablet
  • Are willing to send and receive text messages
  • Are referred to community-based substance use and/or mental health treatment

Exclusion criteria

-

Treatment and study plan

SMS text messaging

Behavioral

SMS text messaging intervention for a period of 90 days to promote attendance at community-based substance use or dual diagnosis treatment appointments through motivational messages.

Standard of care engagement practices

Behavioral

Standard of care engagement practices, such as communicating with youth and caregivers, as needed, through texting but frequency of contact and content of messaging varies according to individual needs.

Primary outcomes

  1. Treatment session attendance

    Time frame: 30 days post baseline

    Proportion of treatment sessions attended

  2. Treatment session attendance

    Time frame: 60 days post baseline

    Proportion of treatment sessions attended

  3. Treatment session attendance

    Time frame: 90 days post baseline

    Proportion of treatment sessions attended

  4. Treatment session attendance

    Time frame: 120 days post baseline

    Proportion of treatment sessions attended

  5. Treatment session attendance

    Time frame: 180 days post baseline

    Proportion of treatment sessions attended

Secondary outcomes

  1. First treatment session initiation

    Time frame: 120 days post baseline

    Proportion who attended first treatment session, as scheduled

  2. First treatment session initiation

    Time frame: 180 days post baseline

    Proportion who attended first treatment session, as scheduled

Other outcomes

  1. Alcohol use

    Time frame: 90 days post baseline

    The Adolescent Risk Behavior Assessment (ARBA) is used to assess quantity and frequency of previous (lifetime and past 90 days) alcohol use.

  2. Alcohol use

    Time frame: 180 days post baseline

    The Adolescent Risk Behavior Assessment (ARBA) is used to assess quantity and frequency of previous (lifetime and past 90 days) alcohol use.

  3. Drug use

    Time frame: 90 days post baseline

    The Adolescent Risk Behavior Assessment (ARBA) is used to assess quantity and frequency of previous (lifetime and past 90 days) cannabis and other drug use.

  4. Drug use

    Time frame: 180 days post baseline

    The Adolescent Risk Behavior Assessment (ARBA) is used to assess quantity and frequency of previous (lifetime and past 90 days) cannabis and other drug use.

  5. Drug Use

    Time frame: 90 days post baseline

    The Texas Christian University (TCU) Drug Screen with Opioid Supplement is used to gather detailed information about drug and opioid use.

  6. Drug Use

    Time frame: 180 days post baseline

    The Texas Christian University (TCU) Drug Screen with Opioid Supplement is used to gather detailed information about drug and opioid use.

  7. Response rate to SMS messages

    Time frame: 30 days post baseline

    Digital (mobile) health metrics

  8. Response rate to SMS messages

    Time frame: 60 days post baseline

    Digital (mobile) health metrics

  9. Response rate to SMS messages

    Time frame: 90 days post baseline

    Digital (mobile) health metrics

  10. Psychiatric symptoms

    Time frame: 90 days post baseline

    Global Appraisal of Individual Needs-Short Screener (GAIN-SS) is used to identify people with recent and lifetime internalizing and externalizing mental health disorders, substance use disorders and crime/violence problems. GAIN-SS responses are given in terms of the recency of the problem described in the questions: 3 = past month; 2 = 2 to 12 months ago; 1 = 1+ years ago; 0 = never. The number of past-month symptoms (number of 3s) is used as a measure of change; the number of past-year symptoms (number of 3s or 2s) is used to identify who is likely to have a current diagnosis; and the number of lifetime symptoms (number of 3s, 2s, or 1s) is used as a covariate measure of lifetime severity.

  11. Psychiatric symptoms

    Time frame: 180 days post baseline

    Global Appraisal of Individual Needs-Short Screener (GAIN-SS) is used to identify people with recent and lifetime internalizing and externalizing mental health disorders, substance use disorders and crime/violence problems. GAIN-SS responses are given in terms of the recency of the problem described in the questions: 3 = past month; 2 = 2 to 12 months ago; 1 = 1+ years ago; 0 = never. The number of past-month symptoms (number of 3s) is used as a measure of change; the number of past-year symptoms (number of 3s or 2s) is used to identify who is likely to have a current diagnosis; and the number of lifetime symptoms (number of 3s, 2s, or 1s) is used as a covariate measure of lifetime severity.

  12. Therapeutic Alliance

    Time frame: 30 days post baseline

    The Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) is used to assess youth's perception of therapeutic alliance (with treatment provider) over time. Scores range from 12 to 84 with higher scores indicating greater perceived therapeutic alliance.

  13. Therapeutic Alliance

    Time frame: 60 days post baseline

    The Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) is used to assess youth's perception of therapeutic alliance (with treatment provider) over time. Scores range from 12 to 84 with higher scores indicating greater perceived therapeutic alliance.

  14. Therapeutic Alliance

    Time frame: 90 days post baseline

    The Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) is used to assess youth's perception of therapeutic alliance (with treatment provider) over time. Scores range from 12 to 84 with higher scores indicating greater perceived therapeutic alliance.

  15. Therapeutic Alliance

    Time frame: 120 days post baseline

    The Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) is used to assess youth's perception of therapeutic alliance (with treatment provider) over time. Scores range from 12 to 84 with higher scores indicating greater perceived therapeutic alliance.

  16. Therapeutic Alliance

    Time frame: 180 days post baseline

    The Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) is used to assess youth's perception of therapeutic alliance (with treatment provider) over time. Scores range from 12 to 84 with higher scores indicating greater perceived therapeutic alliance.

  17. Treatment Motivation

    Time frame: 30 days post baseline

    The Motivation for Youth's Treatment Scale (MYTS) is used to measure intrinsic treatment motivation.

  18. Treatment Motivation

    Time frame: 60 days post baseline

    The Motivation for Youth's Treatment Scale (MYTS) is used to measure intrinsic treatment motivation.

  19. Treatment Motivation

    Time frame: 90 days post baseline

    The Motivation for Youth's Treatment Scale (MYTS) is used to measure intrinsic treatment motivation.

  20. Treatment Motivation

    Time frame: 120 days post baseline

    The Motivation for Youth's Treatment Scale (MYTS) is used to measure intrinsic treatment motivation.

  21. Treatment Motivation

    Time frame: 180 days post baseline

    The Motivation for Youth's Treatment Scale (MYTS) is used to measure intrinsic treatment motivation.

  22. Characteristics of Communication and Interaction with Probation Officers and Treatment Providers

    Time frame: 30 days post baseline

    Questions on communication characteristics will identify the preferred modes and patterns of communication between caregivers/youth and probation officers/treatment providers.

  23. Characteristics of Communication and Interaction with Probation Officers and Treatment Providers

    Time frame: 60 days post baseline

    Questions on communication characteristics will identify the preferred modes and patterns of communication between caregivers/youth and probation officers/treatment providers.

  24. Characteristics of Communication and Interaction with Probation Officers and Treatment Providers

    Time frame: 90 days post baseline

    Questions on communication characteristics will identify the preferred modes and patterns of communication between caregivers/youth and probation officers/treatment providers.

  25. Characteristics of Communication and Interaction with Probation Officers and Treatment Providers

    Time frame: 120 days post baseline

    Questions on communication characteristics will identify the preferred modes and patterns of communication between caregivers/youth and probation officers/treatment providers.

  26. Characteristics of Communication and Interaction with Probation Officers and Treatment Providers

    Time frame: 180 days post baseline

    Questions on communication characteristics will identify the preferred modes and patterns of communication between caregivers/youth and probation officers/treatment providers.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, San Francisco

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Registry information

Acronym: TEXT2

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Jun 25, 2020
Registry last updated
Apr 6, 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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