Teen Marijuana Check-Up

Phase 3

Completed

• Conditions: Cannabis Use Disorder
• Interventions: Behavioral: Marijuana Check-Ins

• Registration Number: NCT01109563
• Lead Sponsor: Denise Walker

Brief Summary

This study will test a behavioral intervention tailored for adolescents who smoke marijuana and have concerns about their use. The study's purpose is to determine whether this intervention (two-sessions of motivational enhancement intervention followed by 12 months of optional skills training) will be more effective in reducing the use of this drug if augmented by three periodic motivational enhancement treatment check-in sessions as compared to three periodic computer-based check-in sessions.

HYPOTHESES: (1) Participants in the motivational enhancement treatment check-ins (MCI) condition will reduce their use of marijuana more than participants in the computer based (Comp) condition and report fewer negative consequences. These differences are expected to be greater at later follow-ups (i.e, 9, 12, and 15 months) after repeated check-ins exert a cumulative effect. (2)Engagement in CBT sessions will be greater for those in the MCI condition and will partially mediate the effect on marijuana related outcome indices. (3) The MCI intervention will lead to increased self-efficacy, and decreased normative perceptions of marijuana use by other teens that will also partially mediate the effect of the intervention.

Detailed Description

The goal of this trial is to evaluate the efficacy of an enhanced Teen Marijuana Check-Up protocol to reach and intervene with non-treatment seeking adolescents who use marijuana heavily. Two hundred fifty adolescents who use marijuana heavily will receive a 2-session individual motivational enhancement therapy. All participants will also be offered the opportunity, over a 12-month period, to repeatedly re-initiate marijuana counseling. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of two types of periodic follow-up contacts: Motivational interviewing-based Marijuana Check-Ins (MCI) or Computer Based Control (Comp) sessions.

All participants will be reassessed at the 6, 9, 12, and 15-month anniversaries of enrollment. Following their initial motivational enhancement therapy, the 125 experimental condition participants will additionally have a motivational enhancement treatment "check-in" session with their counselor at the 4, 7, and 10-month anniversaries of enrollment intended to reinforce the maintenance of treatment gains and motivate continued success, increase motivation to change for participants who did not meet their marijuana use goals, and/or prompt utilization of cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) sessions as needed. The 125 comparison participants will complete a computer based questionnaire at the same time intervals to serve as an attentional control.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2010-04-21
• Study First Submitted QC: 2010-04-22
• Study First Posted: 2010-04-23
• Study Start: 2011-03
• Primary Completion: 2014-09
• Study Completion: 2014-09
• Status Verified: 2016-10
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-10-25
• Last Update Posted: 2016-10-27

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 252

Inclusion Criteria

1. age (14-19 years old),
2. grade level (9th through 11th) and
3. marijuana use.

Exclusion Criteria

Individuals will be excluded if:

1. they are not fluent in English,
2. they have a thought disorder that precludes full participation,
3. they refuse to accept randomization to condition,
4. they are high school seniors.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Marijuana Check-Ins	Marijuana Check-Ins	The MCI, a MET intervention, will include the provision of personalized feedback with a motivational interviewing style. The focus of these sessions will be individualized to participants based on recent marijuana use and related experiences. Feedback given to participants during the MCI session will review progress toward goals as self-reported in percent days abstinent, normative data regarding marijuana use, review of reported consequences of marijuana use, review of abuse and dependence criteria reported, comparison of consequences and abuse and dependence symptoms reported over time, review of the positive outcomes from reductions in use, and review of immediate and long-term life goals and how their marijuana goal will affect these. HEs will offer particular encouragement to take advantage of CBT sessions to participants who feel they currently need treatment.
Computer Check-In Control	Marijuana Check-Ins	The Computer Check-In gives the participant contact with the research therapist, an assessment of marijuana use and the current impact of use, and a reminder about optional support sessions.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
engagement in cognitive behavioral skills training sessions	90 days	Frequency of attendance at optional in-school counseling sessions
frequency (number of days) of marijuana use	60 days	Global Appraisal of Individual Needs - I (self-report measure)
treatment utilization	90 days	Global Appraisal of Individual Needs - I
marijuana abuse/dependence symptoms	60 days	Global Appraisal of Individual Needs - I

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
self-efficacy	90 days	Self-efficacy scale that assesses self-efficacy for avoiding marijuana use
normative perceptions of peer marijuana use	90 days	Descriptive perceived norms concerning the frequency of marijuana use by other adolescents of the participant's age