NCT01632319

Therapy for Undergraduate College Students Who Binge Drink and Are Depressed

Treatment for Excessive Alcohol Use and Depression in Students (TREADS)

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 96 (actual)
• Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 24 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of 2 different therapy courses for undergraduate college students who binge drink and experience depressive symptoms.

Detailed description

After a screening visit (2 ½ hrs) to confirm eligibility for the study, all participants will receive 8 weekly, 1-hour, individual sessions therapy with a counselor. Participants will be randomly assigned, by chance, like the flip of a coin, to the therapy course they will attend. In one of the therapy courses, students are asked questions about their drinking and receive personalized feedback about it, and are taught coping skills for their depressive symptoms. In the second course, students are also taught coping skills for their depressive symptoms but they may or may not talk about alcohol consumption depending on the students' preference. So, both courses teach the same coping skills for depressive symptoms but include different levels of focus on alcohol. Participants will also complete 2 follow-up visits, at the end of the 8 sessions and then again 4 weeks after completing treatment. These will involve filling out some questionnaires and completing a few neuropsychological tests (these questionnaires and neuropsychological tests will also be completed during the screening visit).

Conditions

• Depression
• Alcohol Abuse

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Combined Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy	8 sessions with study clinician, which focus on depressive symptom treatment and alcohol use Both courses teach coping skills for depression (CBT). However, one course focuses only on treatment for depression whereas the other provides also information tailored to the students' level of drinking and experience with regard to alcohol use. In one course students are asked questions about their drinking, receive personalized feedback about it and are taught coping skills for their depressive symptoms
BEHAVIORAL	Cognitive Behavioral Therapy	Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of therapy in which students will be taught coping skills for their depressive symptoms but they may or may not talk about alcohol consumption depending on the students' preference.

Timeline

• Start date: 2012-05-01
• Primary completion: 2016-11-01
• Completion: 2016-11-01
• First posted: 2012-07-02
• Last updated: 2021-10-11

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States