NCT00344474

Personality-targeted Interventions for Adolescent Alcohol Misuse

A New School-based Drug Prevention Programme for Teenagers: Interventions That Target Personality Risk for Substance Abuse and Mental Illness

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2 / Phase 3
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 710 (actual)
• Sponsor: King's College London · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 13 Years – 16 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Personality targeted cognitive behavioural interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing alcohol and drug misuse in adult substance abusers (Conrod et al., 2000) and adolescent drinkers (Conrod et al, in press). As these interventions target personality traits linked to risk for addictive and non-addictive mental disorders, the aim of this study is to examine the extent to which this approach can prevent and/or reduce alcohol and drug misuse as well as have an impact on the onset or severity of emotional and behavioural problems in young people.

Detailed description

Personality targeted cognitive behavioural interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing alcohol and drug misuse in adult substance abusers (Conrod et al., 2000) and adolescent drinkers (Conrod et al, in press). As these interventions target personality traits linked to risk for addictive and non-addictive psychopathology, the aim of this study is to examine the extent to which this approach is effective in preventing and/or reduce alcohol and drug misuse and concurrent psychiatric symptoms in young people. Method: 875 Participants aged 13-16 years will be screened for personality risk in school-wide self-report assessments. Participants will be randomly assigned to a personality matched cognitive-behavioural intervention or a no-intervention control. The personality matched interventions will target four personality risk factors: negative thinking (NT), anxiety sensitivity (AS), impulsivity (IMP) and sensation seeking (SS). Outcome evaluation will occur 6, 12, 18 and 24 months post intervention. Primary outcomes will be time to onset and severity of alcohol and illicit substance use and misuse. Secondary outcome variables will include depressive symptoms, panic attack rates, reckless and antisocial behaviour. Secondary analyses involving genetic, cognitive and coping skills measures will examine moderators of treatment effects. Hypotheses: It is expected that personality-targeted interventions will have personality-specific effects on aspects of addictive and non-addictive psychopathology to which each personality risk group is most susceptible.

Conditions

• Alcohol Abuse
• Drug Abuse
• Depression
• Panic Disorder
• Conduct Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	PRE-Venture: Personality Risk Education	Motivational and Cognitive-Behavioural interventions targeting four personality risk factors for substance misuse. Two, 90-minute group sessions conducted at school with personality-matched peers and trained psychologists/councellors and co-facilitators.

Timeline

• Start date: 2003-11-01
• Primary completion: 2006-05-01
• Completion: 2008-07-01
• First posted: 2006-06-26
• Last updated: 2011-06-27

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom