Using Values to Enhance Inmates' Response to Substance Use and HIV Risk Feedback

George Mason University (GMU)

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Substance Use; HIV Risk Behavior

Treatments: Behavioral: Values Affirmation; Behavioral: Risk Feedback

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03501732

R34DA042974-01

Details and patient eligibility

About

A key component of effective offender treatment is an initial assessment of risk factors followed by feedback to facilitate problem awareness and engagement in appropriate treatment and/or behavior change. Feedback regarding areas of high risk, however, can be experienced as threatening.

The investigators propose to develop, fine-tune, and pilot-test a computerized system for risk assessment and feedback, including evaluation of a brief pre-feedback prosocial values affirmation exercise (Cohen & Sherman, 2014) aimed at decreasing defensiveness and increasing inmates' willingness to access and process risk-relevant information and to utilize post-release treatment resources, thereby reducing post-release substance misuse, HIV risk behavior, and criminal recidivism. Participants will be 170 jail inmates nearing release into the community - 20 pilot participants and 150 study participants randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) Values Affirmation + Personalized Risk Feedback; (2) Personalized Risk Feedback only; (3) Control. The baseline and risk assessment, values affirmation manipulation, and personalized risk feedback will be presented via touch-screen computers, requiring minimal training to administer. Analyses will assess:

1. The feasibility of utilizing a computerized system to assess and share risk information with jail inmates, including a brief values affirmation exercise to reduce defensiveness;
2. The acceptability of this approach from the perspectives of jail staff and inmates themselves;
3. The impact of the intervention on observed proximal outcomes (mechanisms of action), such as time spent viewing feedback, electing to print a copy of informational and treatment resources, and consequent changes in perceptions of risk, treatability, etc.;
4. The impact of the intervention on key post-release outcomes including engagement in relevant treatment services, substance misuse, HIV risk behaviors, re-offense and re-arrest;
5. The links between proximal outcomes (MOAs) and key post-release outcomes;
6. Potential moderators of treatment effectiveness.

Enrollment: 150 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Sufficient proficiency in spoken English to understand computer-assisted assessments and feedback
• post-sentencing with a sentence (i.e., less than 12 months) likely to be served out at the jail (vs. a state or federal prison) and likely to be released into the community. The invitation to participate will be timed so treatment is delivered toward the end of incarceration (within one week of release) to minimize decay of effects, and to capitalize on the motivational value of the up-coming release.

Exclusion criteria

• Those with detainers to other jurisdictions and to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: Quadruple Blind

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150 participants in 3 patient groups

Values Affirmation plus Risk Feedback

Experimental group

Description:

Values Affirmation with Risk Feedback in substance use and HIV domains of risk

Treatment:

Behavioral: Values Affirmation

Behavioral: Risk Feedback

Risk Feedback

Active Comparator group

Description:

Sham Values Affirmation with Risk Feedback in substance use and HIV domains of risk

Treatment:

Behavioral: Risk Feedback

Sleep Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Description of sleep habits in lieu of values affirmation/sham values affirmation. No risk feedback