CARS: Cannabis and Alcohol Reduction Study

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Substance Use; Substance Use Disorders; Cannabis Use; Alcohol Use, Unspecified
• Interventions: Behavioral: modified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT), which aims to modify automatic approach bias; Behavioral: modified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT) that does not aim to modify automatic approach bias.

• Registration Number: NCT05486234
• Lead Sponsor: Medical University of South Carolina

Brief Summary

The study will test a computerized treatment with subjects ages 13-17 years who are seeking treatment for alcohol and/or cannabis use. Follow-up assessments will be conducted at one- and three-months following treatment.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-08-01
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-08-02
• Study First Posted: 2022-08-03
• Study Start: 2023-01-25
• Status Verified: 2025-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-05
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-10
• Primary Completion: 2025-12-15
• Study Completion: 2026-03

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 52

Inclusion Criteria

• between the ages of 13 and 17
• be seeking treatment for either cannabis or alcohol use;
• report co-occurring alcohol and cannabis use during the past three months (i.e., participants who report using both alcohol and cannabis during the three months prior to participation in the study, regardless of if the use was simultaneous)
• have a caregiver willing to participate and provide consent.

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Group A: Treatment Group	modified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT), which aims to modify automatic approach bias	-
Group B: Control Group	modified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT) that does not aim to modify automatic approach bias.	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Cannabis Approach Bias (D-Score)	Baseline, One-Week Follow-up, and Three-Month Follow-up	D scores will be calculated for each participant at baseline, posttest, and three-month follow-up. Participants' mean reaction times (RTs) during the approach cannabis trials will be subtracted from the mean avoid cannabis trial RTs. These scores are then divided by the SD across all cannabis trials. Positive scores indicate an approach bias for cannabis stimuli.
Change in cannabis use as assessed by Timeline Followback	Baseline and Three-Month Follow-up	The TLFB is a calendar-assisted semi-structured interview that will be used to assess cannabis and alcohol use since the last assessment. The TLFB will assess the number of days a person used cannabis over the past 90 days compared to the 90 days prior to enrolling in this study.
Change in alcohol use as assessed by Timeline Followback	Baseline and Three-Month Follow-up	The TLFB is a calendar-assisted semi-structured interview that will be used to assess cannabis and alcohol use since the last assessment. The TLFB will assess the number of days a person consumed alcohol over the past 90 days compared to the 90 days prior to enrolling in this study.
Change Cannabis Approach Bias (D-Score)	Baseline, One-Week Follow-up, and Three-Month Follow-up	D scores will be calculated for each participant at baseline, posttest, and three-month follow-up. Participants' mean reaction times (RTs) during the approach alcohol trials will be subtracted from the mean avoid alcohol trial RTs. These scores are then divided by the SD across all alcohol trials. Positive scores indicate an approach bias for alcohol stimuli.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Medical University of South Carolina; 🇺🇸 Charleston, South Carolina, United States