Thursday, April 25, 2024
4/25/2024
PROJECT SUMMARY People who inject drugs (PWID) experience some of the greatest addiction-related harms and yet are under- represented in substance use treatment. A number of individual and structural barriers have been shown to prevent PWID from engaging in treatment. Many of these barriers can be reduced by low-threshold treatment approaches, but there has been very little research evaluating low-threshold treatments for PWID, especially treatments that target the mechanisms driving problematic drug use. The proposed study seeks to extend ongoing research of a behavioral addiction intervention, Behavioral Activation (BA) for substance use, by offering BA as a low-threshold intervention to non-treatment-seeking PWID. BA has demonstrated efficacy as a supplement to traditional substance use treatment, but it may also be a particularly appropriate therapy for non-treatment-seeking PWID because it targets environmental reward deficits, which are thought to be a driver of substance use, and it aims to bolster motivation for recovery by increasing engagement in value based substance-free activities. Additionally, it has high potential for cost-effective dissemination through support workers without formal training in psychotherapy, making it a very practical approach for reaching underserved substance users. The proposed study has three aims. Aim 1 will examine the feasibility and acceptability of BA for non-treatment-seeking PWID recruited from a syringe exchange program (SEP). Aim 2 will focus on developing and piloting the treatment manual through an iterative process. Aim 3 will examine the preliminary efficacy of the treatment from baseline to a 1 month follow-up using a small randomized controlled trial. This study would be the first to examine the use of this treatment in a sample of out-of-treatment substance users. If effective, this treatment approach could be implemented in community-based settings where PWID already access services, such as SEPs. This would fill an important gap in services for high-risk substance users, especially those who are interested in receiving help but are not ready to enroll in traditional substance use treatment.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
