Adjunctive Motivational Alcohol Intervention to Prevent IPV

NCT ID: NCT05287711

Last Updated: 2025-11-20

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

300 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-09-01

Study Completion Date

2028-09-30

Brief Summary

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This is a study to provide much-needed experimental data on the efficacy of a brief alcohol Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) pre-group intervention for Veterans receiving group treatment for IPV perpetration. The investigators will compare those assigned to receive this 2-session MET intervention to those receiving a 2-session Alcohol Education (AE) intervention or a 2-session standard treatment as usual (TAU) telephone monitoring intervention. The investigators will examine whether MET leads to greater reductions in alcohol use problems and IPV perpetration, and increased help-seeking behavior for alcohol use problems. Participants will be 300 Veterans drawn from the Strength at Home IPV intervention program across the entire Veterans Health Administration system.

Detailed Description

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Veterans exposed to trauma are at elevated risk for perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) and for the development of alcohol-related problems. Despite commonly found associations between alcohol misuse and IPV, the investigators are aware of no prior research in Veterans examining the impact of adjunctive alcohol interventions for those receiving IPV intervention. The investigators propose to provide much-needed experimental data on the efficacy of a brief 2-session alcohol Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) pre-group intervention for Veterans receiving group treatment for IPV perpetration. More specifically, the investigators propose to examine whether those assigned to receive this 2-session MET intervention, relative to those receiving a 2-session Alcohol Education (AE) intervention or a 2-session standard treatment as usual (TAU) telephone monitoring intervention, evidence greater reductions in alcohol use problems and IPV perpetration, and increased help-seeking behavior for alcohol use problems. Participants will be 300 Veterans drawn from the Strength at Home IPV intervention program across the entire Veterans Health Administration system. Participants will be randomized to their pre-group conditions and then assigned to Strength at Home groups for IPV, and will receive referrals for substance use treatment in the VA system or the community. Participants with clinically relevant alcohol use problems, as determined by baseline screening measures, will complete assessments of alcohol use, readiness to change, IPV and help-seeking behavior at baseline, post IPV intervention group (3 months after completion of 2-session alcohol intervention), and four separate 3-month follow-ups after the post-treatment assessment. Differences between conditions on the major outcome variables involving alcohol use, IPV, help-seeking, and treatment engagement will be examined with random-effects regression models using an intent-to-treat approach. Study findings may assist in enhancing the efficacy of IPV interventions for the Veteran population to help ensure the safety and well-being of Veterans and their families.

Conditions

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Alcohol Use and Intimate Partner Violence

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Participants will receive motivational enhancement therapy for alcohol use problems and this will be compared to an alcohol psychoeducational intervention.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors
Assessors will be masked.

Study Groups

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Motivational Enhancement Therapy

Motivational enhancement therapy for alcohol use problems, which includes empathic support, feedback and advice, strategies for enhancing self-efficacy, techniques for eliciting self-motivational statements from the participant, strategies for addressing participant ambivalence about change and participant resistance to change, and methods for eliciting and affirming commitment to a specific change plan (active intervention).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Motivational Enhancement Therapy

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

In Session 1, the therapist provides personalized feedback on a range of assessment variables, including alcohol consumption levels, negative consequences from alcohol use, and family risk of alcoholism. Sessions 2-4 are follow-through sessions in which the therapist attempts to help the Veteran participant establish or reaffirm a commitment to an action plan for addressing alcohol concerns.

Strength at Home

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

IPV intervention which consists of 12 weekly, 2-hour cognitive-behavioral sessions offered in a closed group format and co-led by doctoral level male and female therapists. Strength at Home is based on a social information processing model of trauma and IPV and provides material covering psychoeducation regarding trauma and IPV, conflict and anger management skills, assertiveness training, and skills in stress management and communication.

Alcohol Education Control

Psychoeducational intervention intended to: (1) dispel myths about the effects of alcohol, (2) provide information about the general risks of drinking and process of recovery from alcohol problems, (3) provide information about the specific risks related to family relationships and IPV, (4) offer self-help program information and related strategies to address drinking problems, (5) promote and encourage healthy decision-making, and (6) reinforce the benefits of abstinence or controlled drinking.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Alcohol Education Control

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Will consist of 4 weekly individual sessions, approximately 60 minutes each. AE therapists will explain that their job is to provide the Veteran participants with information and education about the effects of alcohol, and that it is up to the Veteran participant to use this information as he sees fit. In each session, the Veteran participant will watch an educational videotape in a comfortable consulting room and will be given an opportunity to discuss the videotape with the project therapist for approximately 10 minutes. Written educational materials will supplement the information provided in the videos, and the therapist will ask several structured questions to determine whether the Veteran participant understood the material presented in the video.

Strength at Home

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

IPV intervention which consists of 12 weekly, 2-hour cognitive-behavioral sessions offered in a closed group format and co-led by doctoral level male and female therapists. Strength at Home is based on a social information processing model of trauma and IPV and provides material covering psychoeducation regarding trauma and IPV, conflict and anger management skills, assertiveness training, and skills in stress management and communication.

Telephone Monitoring

Brief supportive telephone monitoring sessions that are commonly delivered while Veterans wait to begin their groups (treatment as usual).

Group Type OTHER

Treatment as Usual

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Supportive telephone monitoring sessions that ensure equal spacing between assessments across conditions and equal number of therapist contacts.

Strength at Home

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

IPV intervention which consists of 12 weekly, 2-hour cognitive-behavioral sessions offered in a closed group format and co-led by doctoral level male and female therapists. Strength at Home is based on a social information processing model of trauma and IPV and provides material covering psychoeducation regarding trauma and IPV, conflict and anger management skills, assertiveness training, and skills in stress management and communication.

Interventions

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Motivational Enhancement Therapy

In Session 1, the therapist provides personalized feedback on a range of assessment variables, including alcohol consumption levels, negative consequences from alcohol use, and family risk of alcoholism. Sessions 2-4 are follow-through sessions in which the therapist attempts to help the Veteran participant establish or reaffirm a commitment to an action plan for addressing alcohol concerns.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Alcohol Education Control

Will consist of 4 weekly individual sessions, approximately 60 minutes each. AE therapists will explain that their job is to provide the Veteran participants with information and education about the effects of alcohol, and that it is up to the Veteran participant to use this information as he sees fit. In each session, the Veteran participant will watch an educational videotape in a comfortable consulting room and will be given an opportunity to discuss the videotape with the project therapist for approximately 10 minutes. Written educational materials will supplement the information provided in the videos, and the therapist will ask several structured questions to determine whether the Veteran participant understood the material presented in the video.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Treatment as Usual

Supportive telephone monitoring sessions that ensure equal spacing between assessments across conditions and equal number of therapist contacts.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Strength at Home

IPV intervention which consists of 12 weekly, 2-hour cognitive-behavioral sessions offered in a closed group format and co-led by doctoral level male and female therapists. Strength at Home is based on a social information processing model of trauma and IPV and provides material covering psychoeducation regarding trauma and IPV, conflict and anger management skills, assertiveness training, and skills in stress management and communication.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

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MET AE TAU SAH

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

All Veteran participants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

* participant is a Veteran
* minimum age 18
* participant is enrolled in the Strength at Home program following program intake
* participant displays evidence of alcohol-related problems during program intake, as indicated by any of the following:

* a report of physical IPV while under the influence of alcohol in the past year
* a score of 8 or greater on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
* consumption of 6 or more standard drinks per occasion on one or more occasions in the previous 6 months
* average weekly consumption of 14 or more standard drinks in the prior 6 months
* participant provides written consent to participate in the study
* inclusion for this study is broad because this is a population who possesses a number of comorbid problems and exclusion for those based on psychopathology or risk for aggression could potentially lead to a biased sample

Exclusion Criteria

* None
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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VA Office of Research and Development

FED

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Casey Tyler Taft, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus, Jamaica Plain, MA

Locations

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VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus, Jamaica Plain, MA

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Casey T Taft, PhD

Role: CONTACT

(857) 364-4344 ext. 44344

Samuel F Frank, BA

Role: CONTACT

(617) 821-2591

Facility Contacts

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Casey T Taft, PhD

Role: primary

(857) 364-4344 ext. 44344

Samuel F Frank, BA

Role: backup

(617) 821-2591

Jamie Winters, PhD

Role: primary

734-222-7651

Noah Venables, PhD

Role: primary

612-629-7422

Related Links

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http://www.strengthathome.org

Strength at Home website

Other Identifiers

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NURA-007-20F

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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