Randomized Clinical Trial of Computerized and Clinician-Delivered CBT in Comparison With Standard Outpatient Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: Primary Within-Treatment and Follow-Up Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Previous trials have demonstrated the efficacy and durability of computer-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT4CBT) as an add-on to standard outpatient care in a range of treatment-seeking populations. In this study, the authors evaluated the efficacy and safety of CBT4CBT as a virtual stand-alone treatment, delivered with minimal clinical monitoring, and clinician-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) compared with treatment as usual in a heterogeneous sample of treatment-seeking outpatients with substance use disorders. METHOD: This was a randomized clinical trial in which 137 individuals who met DSM-IV-TR criteria for current substance abuse or dependence were randomly assigned to receive treatment as usual, weekly individual CBT, or CBT4CBT with brief weekly monitoring. RESULTS: Rates of treatment exposure differed by group, with the best retention in the CBT4CBT group and the poorest in the individual CBT group. Participants who received CBT or CBT4CBT reduced their frequency of substance use significantly more than those who received treatment as usual. Six-month follow-up outcomes indicated continuing benefit of CBT4CBT (plus monitoring) over treatment as usual, but not for clinician-delivered CBT over treatment as usual. Analysis of secondary outcomes indicated that participants in the CBT4CBT group demonstrated the best learning of cognitive and behavioral concepts, as well as the highest satisfaction with treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This first trial of computerized CBT as a virtual stand-alone intervention delivered in a clinical setting to a diverse sample of patients with current substance use disorders indicated that it was safe, effective, and durable relative to standard treatment approaches and was well-liked by participants. Clinician-delivered individual CBT, while efficacious within the treatment period, was unexpectedly associated with a higher dropout rate and lower effects at follow-up.

Performance-Based Contingency Management in Cognitive Remediation Training: A Pilot Study.

Impairments in attention, working memory, and executive function are common among substance users and may adversely affect SUD treatment outcomes. The ability of cognitive remediation (CR) interventions to improve these deficits is hindered in part because levels of engagement in CR training may be inadequate to achieve benefit. This pilot study aimed to increase CR engagement and improve outcome by implementing contingency management (CM) procedures that reinforce performance improvements on CR tasks. Participants were forty individuals (50% male; 65% African American) in an outpatient substance use treatment facility with mild cognitive impairment who had ≥30-days of abstinence from alcohol and drugs. They were randomized to standard (CR-S; n=21) or CM-enhanced (CR-CM; n=19) cognitive remediation training. CR consisted of 1-hour sessions, three times per week for four weeks (12 sessions). A neuropsychological assessment battery was administered prior to and after the four-week intervention. Both groups had high rates of CR session attendance (mean CR-S=11.7, CR-CM=10.9 sessions). Performance on 8 of the 9 CR tasks significantly improved over time for both conditions, with the CR-CM condition demonstrating greater improvement on a CR Sequenced Recall task [F(1,37)=5.81, p<.05]. Significant improvement was also evident on 4 of 9 neuropsychological assessment measures, with the CR-CM condition showing differential improvement on the Trail Making Test - Part B [F (1,37)=5.34, p<.05]. These findings support the feasibility of using CM procedures to enhance substance users' engagement with CR training and suggest the potential value of more research in this area.

Randomized Trial of Computerized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Alcohol Use Disorders: Efficacy as a Virtual Stand-Alone and Treatment Add-On Compared with Standard Outpatient Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for alcohol use disorders (AUDs), yet is rarely implemented with high fidelity in clinical practice. Computer-based delivery of CBT offers the potential to address dissemination challenges, but to date there have been no evaluations of a web-based CBT program for alcohol use within a clinical sample. METHODS: This study randomized treatment-seeking individuals with a current AUD to 1 of 3 treatments at a community outpatient facility: (i) standard treatment as usual (TAU); (ii) TAU plus on-site access to a computerized CBT targeting alcohol use (TAU + CBT4CBT); or (iii) CBT4CBT plus brief weekly clinical monitoring (CBT4CBT + monitoring). Participant alcohol use was assessed weekly during an 8-week treatment period, as well as 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment. RESULTS: Sixty-eight individuals (65% male; 54% African American) were randomized (TAU = 22; TAU + CBT4CBT = 22; CBT4CBT + monitoring = 24). There were significantly higher rates of treatment completion among participants assigned to 1 of the CBT4CBT conditions compared to TAU (Wald = 6.86, p < 0.01). Significant reductions in alcohol use were found across all conditions within treatment, with participants assigned to TAU + CBT4CBT demonstrating greater increases in percentage of days abstinent (PDA) compared to TAU, t(536.4) = 2.68, p < 0.01, d = 0.71, 95% CI (0.60, 3.91), for the full sample. Preliminary findings suggest the estimated costs of all self-reported AUD-related services utilized by participants were considerably lower for those assigned to CBT4CBT conditions compared to TAU, both within treatment and during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This trial demonstrated the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of web-based CBT4CBT targeting alcohol use. CBT4CBT was superior to TAU at increasing PDA when delivered as an add-on, and it was not significantly different from TAU or TAU + CBT4CBT when delivered with clinical monitoring only.