Alcohol, Marijuana, and Risky Sex: Group Interventions With Detained Adolescents (MARS)

University of New Mexico (UNM)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Cannabis; Risk Reduction Behavior; Sexual Behavior; Health Behavior; Adolescent Behavior

Treatments: Behavioral: SEXUAL PLUS ALCOHOL RISK REDUCTION (SRRI+ETOH); Behavioral: INFORMATION-ONLY SEXUAL RISK REDUCTION (INFO-ONLY); Behavioral: SEXUAL + ALCOHOL + MARIJUANA RISK REDUCTION

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT01170260

NIAAA RO1 AA013844-05

Details and patient eligibility

About

This research is studying behaviors that young people engage in that may place them at risk for contracting a sexually transmitted disease like HIV/AIDS, and what kind of educational program works best to reduce these risky behaviors.

Full description

During baseline assessment, a computer questionnaire is administered, including questions about participants' attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors regarding sexual behavior, condom use, and drug use. A saliva sample is provided as well. A "Time-Line Follow-Back" is conducted, noting on which days certain activities occurred, such as sexual intercourse, alcohol use, marijuana use, and cigarette use. A urine sample is also collected in order to test for the STD's chlamydia and gonorrhea (if results are positive, we schedule a meeting with the participant to administer medication to treat the STD).

In the second session, a 3-hour interventional health class is held with groups of same-gender participants. There are 3 different health classes (one focusing just on sex risk reduction, one focusing on sex and alcohol risk reduction, and one focusing on sex, alcohol, and marijuana risk reduction); participants are randomly assigned to one.

Participants are contacted 3 months after the intervention, 6 months after, 9 months after, and 12 months after, in order to meet. These meetings entail completing another Time-Line Follow-Back and completing another questionnaire. At the final 12 month meeting, we collect another urine sample to again test for chlamydia and gonorrhea. As before, if results are positive, we schedule a meeting with the participant to administer medical treatment.

Enrollment: 460 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 14 to 18 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Ages 14-18
• Involved in Juvenile Justice System (living in the Detention Center when recruited)

Exclusion criteria

• Currently taking anti-psychotics
• Involved in similar intervention-based study (2 similar studies being conducted simultaneously by this lab)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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460 participants in 3 patient groups

Info-only sexual risk reduction

Active Comparator group

Description:

Corresponding intervention gives information only on STDs/HIV

Treatment:

Behavioral: INFORMATION-ONLY SEXUAL RISK REDUCTION (INFO-ONLY)

Sex plus alcohol risk reduction

Experimental group

Description:

Corresponding intervention gives info focusing on sex and alcohol risk reduction only

Treatment:

Behavioral: SEXUAL PLUS ALCOHOL RISK REDUCTION (SRRI+ETOH)

Sex + alcohol + marijuana risk reduction

Experimental group

Description:

Corresponding intervention gives info on sex, alcohol, and marijuana risk reduction

Treatment:

Behavioral: SEXUAL + ALCOHOL + MARIJUANA RISK REDUCTION