Efficacy of the telephone-based Brief Motivational Intervention for alcohol problems in Brazil

Feasibility trial of a technology-based intervention (TI) among men with alcohol dependence from rural settings in India

This feasibility study utilized two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT), conducted in a de-addiction unit of tertiary mental care setting, India, between August 2021 and January 2022. Sixty-one participants diagnosed with alcohol dependent syndrome was randomly assigned to receive TI (n = 31) or Treatment as usual (TAU) (n = 30). Participants of both groups were initially assessed for craving, quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption and severity of alcohol use. TI participants received 8 video enabled cue exposure group sessions and periodic mobile phone interventions along with text message reminders after discharge along with routine treatment at de-addiction wards. TAU group participants received only routine treatment. All the participants were followed up over 3 months post-discharge. Results showed that majority (77 %) participants attended all 8-video enabled cue exposure group sessions. Rural men were willing to engage in the program and participated in behavioral rehearsals. Mobile intervention and text messages were accepted. We observed that at 3 months follow-up TI group subjects reported lesser mean craving scores, fewer drinking days, lesser quantity of alcohol consumption and less AUDIT scores compared to TAU group participants. This study provides preliminary support for the hypotheses that it is feasible to implement technology-based alcohol intervention for men with alcohol dependence.

Experiences of a mobile phone delivered brief intervention for hazardous drinking: A qualitative study nested in the AMBIT trial from Goa, India

Background

This study explores the experiences of participants receiving a mobile-based brief intervention (BI) for hazardous drinking in India, to determine characteristics that influenced engagement and examine perceived reasons for change in alcohol consumption.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 adult hazardous drinkers who received a mobile-based BI in the intervention arm of a pilot randomised control trial. Data were coded through an iterative process and analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

Study participants reported a positive experience, with factors such as customised intervention delivery and personal motivation facilitating their engagement. Participants reported a reduction in quantity and frequency of alcohol use. This was credited to the intervention, particularly, its provision of health-related information, goal-setting content and strategies to manage drinking. Apart from alcohol reduction, participants reported improvements in diet, lifestyle, wellbeing, and familial relations.

Implication

By providing a context to explain the impact of the intervention, the learnings from this study can be used to strengthen the implementation of mobile-based interventions. This study outlines the scope for further research in digital health, such as Internet-based health interventions, and incorporating digital interventions within the ambit of existing health care programmes.

Psychosocial and pharmacologic interventions to reduce harmful alcohol use in low- and middle-income countries

BACKGROUND

Harmful alcohol use is defined as unhealthy alcohol use that results in adverse physical, psychological, social, or societal consequences and is among the leading risk factors for disease, disability and premature mortality globally. The burden of harmful alcohol use is increasing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and there remains a large unmet need for indicated prevention and treatment interventions to reduce harmful alcohol use in these settings. Evidence regarding which interventions are effective and feasible for addressing harmful and other patterns of unhealthy alcohol use in LMICs is limited, which contributes to this gap in services.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the efficacy and safety of psychosocial and pharmacologic treatment and indicated prevention interventions compared with control conditions (wait list, placebo, no treatment, standard care, or active control condition) aimed at reducing harmful alcohol use in LMICs.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) indexed in the Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group (CDAG) Specialized Register, the Cochrane Clinical Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) through 12 December 2021. We searched clinicaltrials.gov, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, Web of Science, and Opengrey database to identify unpublished or ongoing studies. We searched the reference lists of included studies and relevant review articles for eligible studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

All RCTs comparing an indicated prevention or treatment intervention (pharmacologic or psychosocial) versus a control condition for people with harmful alcohol use in LMICs were included.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 66 RCTs with 17,626 participants. Sixty-two of these trials contributed to the meta-analysis. Sixty-three studies were conducted in middle-income countries (MICs), and the remaining three studies were conducted in low-income countries (LICs). Twenty-five trials exclusively enrolled participants with alcohol use disorder. The remaining 51 trials enrolled participants with harmful alcohol use, some of which included both cases of alcohol use disorder and people reporting hazardous alcohol use patterns that did not meet criteria for disorder. Fifty-two RCTs assessed the efficacy of psychosocial interventions; 27 were brief interventions primarily based on motivational interviewing and were compared to brief advice, information, or assessment only. We are uncertain whether a reduction in harmful alcohol use is attributable to brief interventions given the high levels of heterogeneity among included studies (Studies reporting continuous outcomes: Tau² = 0.15, Q =139.64, df =16, P<.001, I² = 89%, 3913 participants, 17 trials, very low certainty; Studies reporting dichotomous outcomes: Tau²=0.18, Q=58.26, df=3, P<.001, I² =95%, 1349 participants, 4 trials, very low certainty). The other types of psychosocial interventions included a range of therapeutic approaches such as behavioral risk reduction, cognitive-behavioral therapy, contingency management, rational emotive therapy, and relapse prevention. These interventions were most commonly compared to usual care involving varying combinations of psychoeducation, counseling, and pharmacotherapy. We are uncertain whether a reduction in harmful alcohol use is attributable to psychosocial treatments due to high levels of heterogeneity among included studies (Heterogeneity: Tau² = 1.15; Q = 444.32, df = 11, P<.001; I²=98%, 2106 participants, 12 trials, very low certainty). Eight trials compared combined pharmacologic and psychosocial interventions with placebo, psychosocial intervention alone, or another pharmacologic treatment. The active pharmacologic study conditions included disulfiram, naltrexone, ondansetron, or topiramate. The psychosocial components of these interventions included counseling, encouragement to attend Alcoholics Anonymous, motivational interviewing, brief cognitive-behavioral therapy, or other psychotherapy (not specified). Analysis of studies comparing a combined pharmacologic and psychosocial intervention to psychosocial intervention alone found that the combined approach may be associated with a greater reduction in harmful alcohol use (standardized mean difference (standardized mean difference (SMD))=-0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.61 to -0.24; 475 participants; 4 trials; low certainty). Four trials compared pharmacologic intervention alone with placebo and three with another pharmacotherapy. Drugs assessed were: acamprosate, amitriptyline, baclofen disulfiram, gabapentin, mirtazapine, and naltrexone. None of these trials evaluated the primary clinical outcome of interest, harmful alcohol use.   Thirty-one trials reported rates of retention in the intervention. Meta-analyses revealed that rates of retention between study conditions did not differ in any of the comparisons (pharmacologic risk ratio (RR) = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.89 to 1.44, 247 participants, 3 trials, low certainty; pharmacologic in addition to psychosocial intervention: RR = 1.15, 95% CI: 0.95 to 1.40, 363 participants, 3 trials, moderate certainty). Due to high levels of heterogeneity, we did not calculate pooled estimates comparing retention in brief (Heterogeneity: Tau² = 0.00; Q = 172.59, df = 11, P<.001; I2 = 94%; 5380 participants; 12 trials, very low certainty) or other psychosocial interventions (Heterogeneity: Tau² = 0.01; Q = 34.07, df = 8, P<.001; I2 = 77%; 1664 participants; 9 trials, very low certainty). Two pharmacologic trials and three combined pharmacologic and psychosocial trials reported on side effects. These studies found more side effects attributable to amitriptyline relative to mirtazapine, naltrexone and topiramate relative to placebo, yet no differences in side effects between placebo and either acamprosate or ondansetron. Across all intervention types there was substantial risk of bias. Primary threats to validity included lack of blinding and differential/high rates of attrition.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

In LMICs there is low-certainty evidence supporting the efficacy of combined psychosocial and pharmacologic interventions on reducing harmful alcohol use relative to psychosocial interventions alone. There is insufficient evidence to determine the efficacy of pharmacologic or psychosocial interventions on reducing harmful alcohol use largely due to the substantial heterogeneity in outcomes, comparisons, and interventions that precluded pooling of these data in meta-analyses. The majority of studies are brief interventions, primarily among men, and using measures that have not been validated in the target population. Confidence in these results is reduced by the risk of bias and significant heterogeneity among studies as well as the heterogeneity of results on different outcome measures within studies. More evidence on the efficacy of pharmacologic interventions, specific types of psychosocial interventions are needed to increase the certainty of these results.

Closing the treatment gap for alcohol use disorders in low- and middle-income countries

The alcohol-attributable disease burden is greater in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as compared to high-income countries. Despite the effectiveness of interventions such as health promotion and education, brief interventions, psychological treatments, family-focused interventions, and biomedical treatments, access to evidence-based care for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in LMICs is limited. This can be explained by poor access to general health and mental health care, limited availability of relevant clinical skills among health care providers, lack of political will and/or financial resources, historical stigma and discrimination against people with AUDs, and poor planning and implementation of policies. Access to care for AUDs in LMICs could be improved through evidence-based strategies such as designing innovative, local and culturally acceptable solutions, health system strengthening by adopting a collaborative stepped care approach, horizontal integration of care into existing models of care (e.g., HIV care), task sharing to optimise limited human resources, working with families of individuals with AUD, and leveraging technology-enabled interventions. Moving ahead, research, policy and practice in LMICs need to focus on evidence-based decision-making, responsiveness to context and culture, working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders to design and implement interventions, identifying upstream social determinants of AUDs, developing and evaluating policy interventions such as increased taxation on alcohol, and developing services for special populations (e.g., adolescents) with AUDs.

Patient-level interventions to reduce alcohol-related harms in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-summary

BACKGROUND

Disease and disability from alcohol use disproportionately impact people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While varied interventions have been shown to reduce alcohol use in high-income countries, their efficacy in LMICs has not been assessed. This systematic review describes current published literature on patient-level alcohol interventions in LMICs and specifically describes clinical trials evaluating interventions to reduce alcohol use in LMICs.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

In accordance with PRISMA, we performed a systematic review using an electronic search strategy from January 1, 1995 to December 1, 2020. Title, abstract, as well as full-text screening and extraction were performed in duplicate. A meta-summary was performed on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated alcohol-related outcomes. We searched the following electronic databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, WHO Global Health Library, and PsycINFO. Articles that evaluated patient-level interventions targeting alcohol use and alcohol-related harm in LMICs were eligible for inclusion. No studies were excluded based on language. After screening 5,036 articles, 117 articles fit our inclusion criteria, 75 of which were RCTs. Of these RCTs, 93% were performed in 13 middle-income countries, while 7% were from 2 low-income countries. These RCTs evaluated brief interventions (24, defined as any intervention ranging from advice to counseling, lasting less than 1 hour per session up to 4 sessions), psychotherapy or counseling (15, defined as an interaction with a counselor longer than a brief intervention or that included a psychotherapeutic component), health promotion and education (20, defined as an intervention encouraged individuals' agency of taking care of their health), or biologic treatments (19, defined as interventions where the biological function of alcohol use disorder (AUD) as the main nexus of intervention) with 3 mixing categories of intervention types. Due to high heterogeneity of intervention types, outcome measures, and follow-up times, we did not conduct meta-analysis to compare and contrast studies, but created a meta-summary of all 75 RCT studies. The most commonly evaluated intervention with the most consistent positive effect was a brief intervention; similarly, motivational interviewing (MI) techniques were most commonly utilized among the diverse array of interventions evaluated.

CONCLUSIONS

Our review demonstrated numerous patient-level interventions that have the potential to be effective in LMICs, but further research to standardize interventions, populations, and outcome measures is necessary to accurately assess their effectiveness. Brief interventions and MI techniques were the most commonly evaluated and had the most consistent positive effect on alcohol-related outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Protocol Registry: PROSPERO CRD42017055549.

Randomized Community Trial Comparing Telephone versus Clinic-Based Behavioral Health Counseling for People Living with HIV in a Rural Setting

PURPOSE

To test the efficacy of a theory-based behavioral intervention delivered via telephone versus clinic-based counseling to improve HIV outcomes and reduce alcohol consumption for people at-risk for treatment failure in a rural setting.

METHODS

Patients receiving HIV care (N = 240) were randomized using a computer-generated scheme to one of three conditions: (a) telephone behavioral health counseling, (b) clinic-based behavioral health counseling, or (c) attention control nutrition education. Behavioral counseling was delivered by either a community nurse or a paraprofessional patient navigator, with differences examined. Participants were followed for 12 months to assess medication adherence using unannounced pill counts and alcohol use measured by electronic daily text message assessments, and 18 months for HIV viral load and retention in care extracted from medical records.

FINDINGS

There was evidence for telephone and office-based counseling demonstrating greater medication adherence than the control condition but only in the short term. Clinic-based behavioral counseling significantly reduced alcohol use to a greater degree than telephone counseling and the control condition. There were no other differences between conditions. There were also no discernable differences between counseling delivered by the community nurse and the patient navigator.

CONCLUSIONS

Telephone and clinic-based counseling demonstrated improved medication adherence in the short term, while clinic-based counseling demonstrated reductions in alcohol use. The modest outcomes suggest that intensive intervention strategies are needed for patients that clinicians identify as at-risk for treatment discontinuation and treatment failure.

Relapse prevention group therapy via video-conferencing for substance use disorder: protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial in Indonesia

BACKGROUND

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease. In Indonesia, the availability of formal treatment for SUD falls short of the targeted coverage. A standardised therapeutic option for SUD with potential for widespread implementation is required, yet evidence-based data in the country are scarce. In this study, we developed a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-based group telemedicine model and will investigate effectiveness and implementability in a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

METHODS

A total of 220 participants will be recruited from the social networks of eight sites in Indonesia: three hospitals, two primary healthcare centres and three rehabilitation centres. The intervention arm will participate in a relapse prevention programme called the Indonesia Drug Addiction Relapse Prevention Programme (Indo-DARPP), a newly developed 12-week module based on CBT and motivational interviewing constructed in the Indonesian context. The programme will be delivered by a healthcare provider and a peer counsellor in a group therapy setting via video-conferencing, as a supplement to participants' usual treatments. The control arm will continue treatment as usual. The primary outcome will be the percentage increase in days of abstinence from the primarily used substance in the past 28 days. Secondary outcomes will include addiction severity, quality of life, motivation to change, psychiatric symptoms, cognitive function, coping, and internalised stigma. Assessments will be performed at baseline (week 0), post-treatment (week 13), and 3 and 12 months post-treatment completion (weeks 24 and 60). Retention, participant satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness will be assessed as the implementation outcomes.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committees of Universitas Indonesia and Kyoto University. The results will be disseminated via academic journals and international conferences. Depending on trial outcomes, the treatment programme will be advocated for adoption as a formal healthcare-based approach for SUD.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

UMIN000042186.

A clinical trial on a brief motivational intervention in reducing alcohol consumption under a telehealth supportive counseling

It is known that among those seeking to cease consumption of alcohol, there can be as high as a 50% relapse rate in the first 12 months. Different tools for treatments have been developed, such as telehealth, with the aim of helping this population. As a result of this demand, technology has gained strength in recent years. A new point of view about the treatment will broaden our knowledge far beyond just efficacy. It seems that understanding the mechanisms that lead to treatment success is as important as knowing its effectiveness. Therefore, the present study examined the relationships between Brief Motivational Intervention by telephone (BMI), motivational stage, outcome, and coping strategies using path analysis. In the post-evaluation, variables such as BMI (randomized individuals), motivational stage and decreased consumption of alcohol reached statistical significance (p<.001), suggesting that BMI might improve motivational stage and reduced consumption of alcohol. In terms of coping, the results also indicate that positive thinking might be a variable of interest when planning to decrease alcohol consumption. More research is needed to recognize the potential of new technology in the health area and to uncover the innumerable possibilities of using these tools as a strategy to help alcohol users.

Comparative effects of telephone versus in-office behavioral counseling to improve HIV treatment outcomes among people living with HIV in a rural setting

With the expansion of telehealth services, there is a need for evidence-based treatment adherence interventions that can be delivered remotely to people living with HIV. Evidence-based behavioral health counseling can be delivered via telephone, as well as in-office services. However, there is limited research on counseling delivery formats and their differential outcomes. The purpose of this study was to conduct a head-to-head comparison of behavioral self-regulation counseling delivered by telephone versus behavioral self-regulation counseling delivered by in-office sessions to improve HIV treatment outcomes. Patients (N = 251) deemed at risk for discontinuing care and treatment failure living in a rural area of the southeastern USA were referred by their care provider. The trial implemented a Wennberg Randomized Preferential Design to rigorously test: (a) patient preference and (b) comparative effects on patient retention in care and treatment adherence. There was a clear patient preference for telephone-delivered counseling (69%) over in-office-delivered counseling (31%) and participants who received telephone counseling completed a greater number of sessions. There were few differences between the two intervention delivery formats on clinical appointment attendance, antiretroviral adherence, and HIV viral load. Overall improvements in health outcomes were not observed across delivery formats. Telephone-delivered counseling did show somewhat greater benefit for improving depression symptoms, whereas in-office services demonstrated greater benefits for reducing alcohol use. These results encourage offering most patients the choice of telephone and in-office behavioral health counseling and suggest that more intensive interventions may be needed to improve clinical outcomes for people living with HIV who may be at risk for discontinuing care or experiencing HIV treatment failure.

A pragmatic randomised trial of two counselling models at the Swedish national alcohol helpline

BACKGROUND

Alcohol telephone helplines targeting alcohol consumers in the general population can extend the reach of brief interventions while preserving in-person counselling. So far, studies of client outcomes in the setting of alcohol helplines are scarce. This study aims to compare the 6-months alcohol-related outcomes of two counselling models delivered at the Swedish National Alcohol Helpline.

METHODS

A pragmatic randomised trial was set up at the Swedish National Alcohol Helpline. First-time callers with current hazardous or harmful alcohol use who contacted the helpline, from May 2015 to December 2017, were invited to participate. Clients were allocated with 1:1 ratio to two groups: (1) brief, structured intervention (n = 128), including self-help material and one counsellor-initiated call, and (2) usual care (n = 133), i.e. multiple-session counselling using Motivational Interviewing (MI). The primary outcome was a downward change in AUDIT risk-zone between baseline and 6-months follow-up. The analysis followed an intention-to-treat approach.

RESULTS

Recruitment ended in December 2017. At 6-months follow-up, 70% of the enrolled participants had data on the outcome. In the brief, structured intervention (n = 107) 68% changed to a lower risk-level, compared to 61% in the usual care group (n = 117), yielding a risk ratio (RR) of 1.12 (95% CI 0.93 to 1.37) and risk difference of 0.08 (95% CI -0.05 to 0.20). The total AUDIT score and the scores from the AUDIT consumption questions (AUDIT-C) did not reveal any between-group differences in the mean change at follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

The counselling at the Swedish National Alcohol Helpline was followed by a significant decrease in alcohol use among clients, without clear superiority for either counselling model.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This trial was retrospectively registered with ISRCNT.com (ID: ISRCTN13160878 ) 18/01/2016.

Randomized clinical trial to change parental practices for drug use in a telehealth prevention program: a pilot study

OBJECTIVES

Programs for parents have been found to have a direct positive impact on reducing the consumption of psychoactive substances by adolescents, as well as having an indirect impact on reducing risk factors and increasing protective factors. The present study aimed to verify if a telehealth prevention program based on a brief motivational intervention helps to reduce parental risk practices and increase parental protective practices for drug use in comparison with psychoeducation.

METHODS

A pilot randomized controlled trial was performed at the National Service of Guidance and Information on Drug Use (Ligue 132), from September 2014 to December 2015, with the parents of adolescents (n=26). The outcome measures were parental style, risk, and protective parental practices.

RESULTS

The brief motivational intervention was found to be more effective than psychoeducation in reducing the negligent behavior of parents. Furthermore, when comparing pre- and post-intervention data, the brief motivational intervention helped to change parental style and the large majority of parental practices: increasing positive monitoring, as well as decreasing physical abuse, relaxed discipline, inconsistent punishment, and negative monitoring.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate that the telehealth intervention is effective in modifying the parental practices known to help in preventing drug use. Studies with more number of subjects are required so that the results can be substantiated and generalized.

Stigma management intervention to improve antiretroviral therapy adherence: Phase-I test of concept trial, Cape Town South Africa

Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has transformed HIV infection from a universally fatal disease to a medically manageable chronic illness. We conducted a Phase-I test of concept intervention trial to examine feasibility and potential efficacy of behavioural self-regulation counselling designed to improve care retention and cART adherence. The intervention was culturally adapted from client-centered evidence-based interventions that are grounded in behavioural self-regulation theory and available in the US. The intervention adaptation included enhancements to directly address HIV stigma and alcohol-related sources of nonadherence. Fifty patients receiving cART in Cape Town, South Africa were randomised to receive either: (a) five weekly cellphone-delivered sessions of stigma and alcohol-enhanced behavioural self-regulation counselling or (b) a contact matched control condition. Participants were baseline assessed and followed for two weeks post-intervention, with 94% of participants retained throughout the study. Participants receiving the intervention significantly improved cART adherence from baseline-to-follow up and improvement was significantly greater than the control condition. Behaviours related to stigma and alcohol use that impede cART adherence were significantly reduced, and there was uptake of adherence improvement strategies. The current study supports the potential efficacy of relatively brief behavioural self-regulation counselling delivered by cellphone in a context of differentiated care in South Africa.

A New Era of HIV Risk: It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know (and How Infectious)

HIV is transmitted in social and sexual relationships, and HIV transmission risks, as well as protective actions, are evolving as HIV epidemics unfold. The current focus of HIV prevention is centered on antiretroviral medications used to reduce HIV infectiousness in persons already infected with HIV [treatment as prevention (TasP)]. The same medications used to treat infected persons can also be used by uninfected persons as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the infectivity of HIV. Both PrEP and TasP are effective when adherence is high and individuals do not have co-occurring sexually transmitted infections. HIV prevention is most effective and efficient when delivered within sexual networks with high HIV prevalence. Specific network characteristics are recognized as important facilitators of HIV transmission; these characteristics include the degree of similarity among network members (homophily), gender role norms, and belief systems. Since 2011, HIV risk has been redefined based on infectiousness and infectivity, ushering in a new era of HIV prevention with the potential to end HIV epidemics.

CBI-20: Psychometric Properties for the Coping Behaviors Inventory for Alcohol Abuse in Brazil

For any professional, it is of crucial importance to know not only how coping styles and strategies are present in an individual, but to know about its role to the treatment of alcohol abuse. Moreover, new approaches have emerged in this area in terms of relapse prevention and the counseling by phone can be an alternative. The aim of this study is to examine the factor structure of the Coping Behaviors Inventory (CBI) and to test its invariance across groups face-to-face and phone counseling in Brazil. For this purpose, two studies were carried out: study I, the factor structure was revisited in terms of exploratory factor analysis. Study II, face-to-face and phone counseling were examined through confirmatory factor analysis and multigroup analysis. The results confirmed the 4-factor solution with a revised model for the removal of 16 items. Thus presented, a reduced version with better indexes than the previous versions developed over the last 30 years that was ones reformulated from 60 items. The Internal consistency for study I presented α = 0.90 and homogeneity was between 0.17 and 0.5). In addition the KMO = 0.9 = 0.932, X ( df = 630 ) 2 = 6091.94, p < 0.0 < 0.001. In study II, cronbach's alpha = 0.91 and homogeneity 0.23-0.61 (telemedicine treatment) and α = 0.90 0.17 to 0.63 (face-to-face treatment). In the CFA, the examination of the current version has better fit than the that the traditional model. Moreover, the new version showed convergent validity with the IDHEA questionnaire. In the multigroup analysis no significant changes between groups to a metric level. Finally, the Brazilian version of inventory showed no differences between the phone counseling and face-to-face participants in a metric level after a multigroup analysis.

Comparing counselling models for the hazardous use of alcohol at the Swedish National Alcohol Helpline: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Hazardous and harmful consumption of alcohol is a leading cause of preventable disease and premature deaths. Modifying the amount and pattern of risky alcohol consumption conveys substantial benefits to individuals and to society at large. Telephone helplines provide a feasible alternative to face-to-face counselling in order to increase the reach of brief interventions aiming at modifying the hazardous and harmful use of alcohol. However, there is a lack of studies on the implementation and evaluation of population-based telephone services for the prevention and treatment of alcohol misuse.

METHODS/DESIGN

A randomised controlled trial was designed to compare a brief, structured intervention to usual care within the Swedish National Alcohol Helpline (SAH), concerning their effectiveness on decreasing the hazardous use of alcohol. Between May 2015 and December 2017, about 300 callers are to be individually randomised with a 1:1 ratio to a brief, structured intervention (n = 150) or to usual care (n = 150). The brief, structured intervention consists of the delivery of a self-help booklet followed by one proactive call from SAH counsellors to monitor and give feedback about the client's progression. Callers assigned to usual care receive telephone counselling according to existing practice, i.e., motivational interviewing in a tailored and client-driven combination of proactive and reactive calls. The primary outcome is defined as a change from a higher to a lower AUDIT risk-level category between baseline and follow-up. General linear modeling will be used to calculate risk ratios of the outcome events. The primary analysis will follow an intention-to-treat (ITT) approach.

DISCUSSION

The trial is designed to evaluate the effectiveness in decreasing the hazardous and harmful consumption of alcohol of a brief, structured intervention compared to usual care when delivered at the SAH. The results of the study will be used locally to improve the effectiveness of the service provided at the SAH. Additionally, they will expand the evidence base about optimal counselling models in population-based telephone services for alcohol misuse prevention and treatment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCNT.com, ID: ISRCTN13160878 . Retrospectively registered on 18 January 2016.

Digital technology for treating and preventing mental disorders in low-income and middle-income countries: a narrative review of the literature

Few individuals living with mental disorders around the globe have access to mental health care, yet most have access to a mobile phone. Digital technology holds promise for improving access to, and quality of, mental health care. We reviewed evidence on the use of mobile, online, and other remote technologies for treatment and prevention of mental disorders in low-income and middle-income countries. Of the 49 studies identified, most were preliminary evaluations of feasibility and acceptability. The findings were promising, showing the potential effectiveness of online, text-messaging, and telephone support interventions. We summarised the evaluations as: technology for supporting clinical care and educating health workers, mobile tools for facilitating diagnosis and detection of mental disorders, technologies for promoting treatment adherence and supporting recovery, online self-help programmes for individuals with mental disorders, and programmes for substance misuse prevention and treatment. Continued research is needed to rigorously evaluate effectiveness, assess costs, and carefully consider potential risks of digital technology interventions for mental disorders, while determining how emerging technologies might support the scale-up of mental health treatment and prevention efforts across low-resource settings.

Six-Month Outcomes of a Randomized, Motivational Tele-intervention for Change in the Codependent Behavior of Family Members of Drug Users

Families of substance abusers may develop maladaptive strategies, such as codependency, to address drug-related problems. It is important for families to receive specialist treatment in order to contribute to the recovery process. The Tele-intervention Model and Monitoring of Families of Drug Users (TMMFDU), based on motivational interviewing and stages of change, aims to encourage the family to change the codependents' behaviors. A randomized clinical trial was carried out to verify the change in codependent behavior after intervention with 6 months of follow-up. Three hundred and twenty-five families with high or low codependency scores were randomized into the intervention group (n = 163) or the usual treatment (UT) (n = 162). After 6 months of follow-up, the family members of the TMMFDU group were twice as likely to modify their codependency behavior when compared to the UT group (OR 2.08 CI 95% 1.18-3.65). TMMFDU proved to be effective in changing codependent behaviors among compliant family members of drug users.

The effectiveness of telephone counselling in the treatment of illicit drug and alcohol use concerns

INTRODUCTION

Technology-assisted substance use interventions such as 'high-tech' internet-based treatments are thought to be effective; however, the relatively 'low-tech' use of telephone counselling does not yet have an established evidence base. This paper reviews the literature including articles with information on the use of telephone counselling for the treatment of illicit drug or alcohol use.

METHODS

A systematic literature search using a set of telephone counselling and substance-related terms was conducted across four electronic databases. English studies prior to June 2014 that involved the use of telephone counselling with the treatment of illicit drug or alcohol use as a primary or secondary outcome were included. Review papers, opinion pieces, letters or editorials, case studies, published abstracts, and posters were excluded. In all, 94 publications were included in the review.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The literature was supportive of telephone counselling for the treatment of alcohol use in the short term; however, literature regarding illicit drug use was particularly scarce. The generalisability of findings was limited by evident methodological issues in the included studies.

The effectiveness of helplines for the treatment of alcohol and illicit substance use

While tobacco helplines (quitlines) are thought to be effective, helplines which treat other substance use do not have an established evidence base. A review was conducted of the literature on illicit drug or alcohol (IDA) helplines. The literature search was conducted in five databases. Studies prior to 2014 were included if published in English, and involved the use of a telephone counselling helpline for the treatment of illicit drug or alcohol use. Review papers, opinion pieces, letters or editorials, case studies, published abstracts and posters were excluded. Initial searching identified 2178 articles and after removing duplicates and those meeting the exclusion criteria, there were 36 publications for review. A total of 29 articles provided descriptive information about 19 different IDA helplines which operated in the US (42%), Europe (21%), Australia (21%), Asia (11%) and Canada (5%). These services reported monthly call rates from 3.7 to over 23,000 calls per month. A total of nine articles provided evaluative information on eight different IDA helplines: four articles included a comparison of treatment outcomes against a control group and five articles included information on treatment satisfaction or service utilisation. Together they provide some evidence that these services are effective. Although there was little consistency in the measures used between articles which assessed helpline satisfaction, all but one reported high satisfaction. Although the evidence is mainly supportive of IDA helplines, further work is required to compare treatment outcomes in randomized groups.

The national alcohol helpline in Sweden: an evaluation of its first year

Background

Telephone helplines are easily available and can offer anonymity. Alcohol helplines may be a potential gateway to a more advanced support protocol, and they may function as a primary support option for some. However, although telephone helplines (quitlines) make up an established evidence-based support arena for smoking cessation, few studies have described such telephone-based alcohol counseling.

Methods

This study describes the basic characteristics of callers (n = 480) to the Swedish Alcohol Helpline during its first year of operation, and assesses aspects of change in alcohol behavior in a selected cohort of clients (n = 40) willing to abstain from anonymity and enter a proactive support protocol.

Results

During the study period, 50% of callers called for consultation regarding their own alcohol use (clients), a third called about relatives with alcohol problems, and the others called for information. The clients’ average age was 49 years, and half were females. The clients’ average AUDIT score at baseline was 21 (std. dev. =7.2). Approximately a quarter had scores indicating hazardous alcohol use at baseline, while the others had higher scores. In a follow-up pilot study, the average AUDIT score had decreased from 21 to 14. While clients reporting more severe alcohol use showed a significant decrease at follow-up, hazardous users exhibited no change during the study period.

Conclusion

The study indicates that telephone helplines addressing the general public can be a primary-care option to reduce risky alcohol use. A randomized controlled study is needed to control for the effect of spontaneous recovery.