Efficacy of Adaptive, Gamified Digital Therapeutics Intervention for Individuals With Methamphetamine Use Disorder in Community Rehabilitation

Adai Technology

Status: Completed

Conditions: Methamphetamine Addiction

Treatments: Behavioral: Standard Community Counseling; Device: WonderLab Harbor+ (Adaptive DTx)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07319325

JK2025

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study evaluates the efficacy of a comprehensive, adaptive digital therapeutics (DTx) smartphone application compared to treatment as usual (TAu) for individuals with Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD) receiving community-based rehabilitation. The intervention integrates Internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ICBT), adaptive Approach Bias Modification (A-ApBM), cognitive training, and contingency management. The primary hypothesis is that the DTx intervention will result in a greater reduction in cue-induced craving compared to standard community care.

Full description

Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD) lacks effective pharmacotherapies, and traditional psychosocial interventions face scalability challenges in community settings. This pragmatic randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to assess a smartphone-based digital therapeutic intervention designed to overcome these barriers.

Participants recruited from 12 community rehabilitation centers in Sichuan, China, are randomized 1:1 to either the DTx group or the Treatment as Usual (TAu) group.

The DTx group uses a smartphone application ("WonderLab Harbor+") for 8 weeks as an adjunct to standard care. The app includes:

1. Weekly Internet-based CBT sessions.
2. Daily Adaptive Approach Bias Modification (A-ApBM) training, which dynamically adjusts difficulty based on performance.
3. Gamified cognitive function training.
4. A contingency management system rewarding adherence.

The TAu group receives standard counseling services provided by community social workers. The primary outcome is the change in self-reported cue-induced craving from baseline to 8 weeks.

Enrollment: 360 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age between 18 and 60 years.
• Currently enrolled in a community rehabilitation program.
• Ability to fluently operate a smartphone (Android or iOS).

Exclusion criteria

• Presence of a severe mental health condition (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder) requiring acute psychiatric care.
• Inability to provide informed consent.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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360 participants in 2 patient groups

Adaptive Digital Therapeutics (DTx)

Experimental group

Description:

Participants receive access to WonderLab Harbor+ (Adaptive DTx), a smartphone application, for 8 weeks. They are instructed to complete one ICBT session per week (approx. 10 mins) and one Adaptive Approach Bias Modification (A-ApBM) session daily (approx. 3 mins). The app also includes cognitive training games and a rewards system (Contingency Management). This is provided in addition to standard community care.

Treatment:

Device: WonderLab Harbor+ (Adaptive DTx)

Treatment as Usual (TAU)

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants receive standard care provided by the community rehabilitation centers, which consists of counseling sessions (in-person or telephone) delivered by social workers covering stress management, family issues, and craving suppression.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Standard Community Counseling