Decreasing the Temporal Window in Individuals With Alcohol Use Disorder (RP1B)

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Alcohol Use Disorder

Treatments: Behavioral: Neutral Narrative; Behavioral: Scarcity Narrative

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT04128761

R01AA027381-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

#23-621

Details and patient eligibility

About

In the absence of sufficient monetary resources, individuals must attend to immediate, minimum needs (e.g., food, shelter). This constricts one's temporal window and engenders neglect of the future. In observational studies, scarcity is associated with higher rates of delay discounting. Additionally, socioeconomic status is inversely associated with alcohol use disorder and related problems. Experimentally, scarcity shortens attention, impedes cognitive function, and increases delay discounting in multiple populations. Moreover, scarcity increases demand for fast foods in the obese and increases craving for alcohol in problem drinkers. These data suggest that economic scarcity worsens both components of reinforcer pathology (delay discounting and alcohol overvaluation), thus increasing vulnerability to alcohol use disorder. However, studies investigating the effects of scarcity on alcohol demand discounting rate have been limited. The purpose of Aim 1b is to examine effects of decreasing the temporal window and its concomitant effects on alcohol valuation (demand, and craving) and delay discounting.

Full description

Participants will be randomly assigned to experimental or control groups, balanced by discounting rates and sex. We plan to have 112 participants complete the study, based on our power analysis. Participants will complete two online sessions. During the first session, they will complete the baseline assessments. During the second session, they will complete the same assessments after being exposed to the scarcity or control narratives (both in audio format).

The assessment will include delay discounting and demand tasks, and measures of alcohol craving. Participants will also complete assessments of their stress and mood response to the narrative intervention, using the Stress Appraisal Measure (SAM) for two purposes. That is, 1) to monitor participant safety, 2) to measure the mediating ability of affect on changes in the temporal window.

Enrollment: 124 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 21+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• High-risk or harmful drinking (AUDIT>15)
• 21 years of age or older
• Desire to quit or cut down on their drinking, but do not have proximate plans to enroll in treatment for AUD during the study period

Exclusion criteria

• having a current unmanaged psychotic disorder
• reporting current pregnancy or lactation
• having dementia

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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124 participants in 2 patient groups

Scarcity Narrative

Experimental group

Description:

Participants assigned to the scarcity group will be asked to listen and consider a hypothetical narrative about a sudden loss of resources.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Scarcity Narrative

Neutral Narrative

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Participants assigned to the neutral group will be asked to listen and consider a hypothetical narrative about a neutral change in resources.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Neutral Narrative