Development of an Anxiety Sensitivity-Based Intervention for Substance Use and Anxiety Comorbidity (SUD/Anx)

Hartford Hospital

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 2

Conditions: Other (or Unknown) Substance Use Disorders

Treatments: Behavioral: Psychotherapy (Anxiety Sensitivity Intervention)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02667015

126253

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of the current study is to develop and pilot test an anxiety sensitivity-based intervention for co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs) and anxiety. Research questions include determining whether a broadly-applicable AS-based intervention can significantly decrease both substance misuse and anxiety. Secondary aims include examining the impact of this intervention on general functioning and depressive/anxious symptoms. In phase I, an initial pilot was conducted to examine the feasibility, safety, and patient satisfaction with the protocol, and to estimate potential efficacy of the protocol. In phase II, participants will be randomized to the intervention or a control condition.

Full description

The aim of the current study is to develop and pilot test an anxiety-sensitivity based intervention for co-occurring SUDs and anxiety. In the proposed study, the investigators will develop, refine, and pilot-test an innovative cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for patients who suffer from substance use disorders as well as anxiety. The goal of the research group in the proposed study is to design a protocol that can be testable on a larger sample within an externally-funded, randomized controlled trial. The investigators plan to submit a proposal for this larger grant to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as outlined in our external funding statement.

Research questions include determining whether a broadly-applicable anxiety sensitivity based intervention can significantly decrease both substance misuse and anxiety. Secondary aims include examining the impact of this intervention on general functioning and depressive/anxious symptoms. In this translational research project, strategies that have been demonstrated to impact the psychological mechanisms thought to underlie both illnesses will be tested in a "real world" clinical setting.

Enrollment: 41 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• score higher than 25 (established clinical cutoff) on the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI; Peterson & Plehn, 1999)
• meet the DSM diagnostic criteria for current substance abuse or psychological dependence

Exclusion criteria

• active psychosis, suicidality, mania, or current physiological withdrawal symptoms that necessitate medical detoxification; no substance use in the past 3 months

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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41 participants in 2 patient groups

Anxiety Sensitivity Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Group receives the 3-week, 6-session Anxiety Sensitivity Intervention. This is a 6-session psychotherapy occurring twice weekly (60-90 minutes) for three weeks. This psychotherapeutic treatment is focused on reducing anxiety sensitivity and includes many components, but primarily consists of psychoeducation about the relationship between anxiety and substance use disorders, interoceptive exposures, in vivo exposures, and cognitive challenging.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Psychotherapy (Anxiety Sensitivity Intervention)

Control Group

No Intervention group

Description:

Receives only treatment as usual