Pilot Testing the Check Up

University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Cannabis Use Disorder

Treatments: Behavioral: Teen Marijuana Check Up

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04624074

1R01MH120550-01A1

Details and patient eligibility

About

We propose to pilot test an adapted version of the Teen Marijuana Check Up (TMCU) for persistent cannabis users with first episode psychosis (FEP) in Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC). The adapted version of the TMCU will include tailoring to risks of persistent cannabis use in FEP, providing education on lower risk cannabis use, and adding a session to address collaborative planning to maintain CSC engagement and antipsychotic adherence and to reduce harm associated with cannabis use.

Full description

We propose to adapt the Teen Marijuana Check Up for persistent cannabis users with FEP in CSC. Dr. Walker, the developer of the TMCU, will be a consultant. Adaptations will include tailoring content of assessment and feedback to risks of persistent cannabis use in FEP, providing education on lower risk cannabis use, and adding a session to address collaborative planning to maintain CSC engagement and antipsychotic adherence and to reduce harm associated with cannabis use. We will also develop guidelines for integrating continued collaborative, harm-reduction focused discussion of cannabis use into CSC, consider adding booster or check-in sessions, and specify how family members can be brought into the check-up process. To inform these adaptations, we will collect quantitative data from cannabis-using FEP patients (n of 40) and conduct qualitative interviews with cannabis-using patients, family members, and CSC clinicians (15 of each) about their perspectives on cannabis use and CSC participation (Aim 1). We will use these data as part of an iterative process to specify the adapted intervention that will integrate information gathered from team discussion and focus groups with FEP patients and family members and vetting of intervention components by key stakeholders (Aim 2). Finally, we will conduct a pilot of the adapted intervention (n of 40 cannabis-using FEP patients compared to matched controls) to examine feasibility, acceptability, fidelity, and preliminary impact on intervention targets and outcomes (Aim 3). If results are promising, the intervention can be tested in a large RCT across the EPINET.

Enrollment: 17 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 13 to 35 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Age 13-35
2. DSM-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, other specified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder, and unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder
3. Duration of illness: ≤ 2 years
4. Enrolled at a Coordinated Specialty Care program
5. Report current use of cannabis
6. Ability and willingness to provide informed consent to participate

Exclusion criteria

1. Individuals who do not meet all inclusion criteria are excluded.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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17 participants in 1 patient group

Teen Marijuana Checkup - adapted

Experimental group

Description:

Teen Marijuana Checkup will be adapted for youth and young adults with first episode psychosis. The Teen Marijuana Checkup includes two intervention sessions. In Session 1, the interventionist uses motivational interviewing skills to hear the adolescent's history and current concerns with marijuana. The personalized feedback report generated from the baseline assessment is reviewed. In Session 2, the interventionist elicits change talk and guides discussion on making changes to reduce or stop marijuana use.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Teen Marijuana Check Up