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Abstract: Aims: To test the efficacy of the Tobacco Status Project (TSP) Facebook smoking cessation intervention for young adults relative to referral to an on‐line program on biochemically verified 7‐day abstinence from smoking. Design: Two‐group parallel randomized controlled trial, comparing TSP (n = 251) to on‐line control (n = 249) with follow‐up to 12 months. Setting: On‐line, throughout the United States. Participants: Young adult cigarette smokers (mean age 21 years; 73% white, 55% female, 87% daily smokers). Interventions and comparator: TSP provided private Facebook groups tailored to stage of change to quit smoking, daily contacts, weekly live counseling sessions, and for those ready to quit, six cognitive behavioral therapy counseling sessions. Some TSP groups were assigned randomly to receive a monetary incentive for engagement. Control provided referral to the National Cancer Institute Smokefree.gov website. Measurements: primary outcome: Biochemically verified 7‐day abstinence over 12 months. Secondary outcomes: Post‐treatment (3‐month) abstinence; reported abstinence, quit attempt, reduction in smoking, readiness to quit smoking over 12 months. Findings: Verified 7‐day abstinence was not significantly different for intervention compared with control over 1 year: month 3 (8.3 versus 3.2%), 6 (6.2 versus 6.0%), and 12 (5.9 versus 10.0%); odds ratio (OR) = 1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.23, 4.97; retention = 71%. There was an effect at 3 months (OR = 2.52; CI = 1.56, 4.04; P < 0.0001). There were no 12‐month treatment effects for reported abstinence (P = 0.746), reduction in smoking by 50% or more (P = 0.533), likelihood of having made a quit attempt (P = 0.387) or stage of change over time (0.968). Participants in TSP engaged more and rated the intervention more favorably than those in the control condition. Conclusions: Compared with referral to a smoking cessation website, a novel USA‐focused Facebook smoking cessation intervention did not improve abstinence from smoking over 1 year, but increased abstinence at the end of treatment and was engaging to participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tobacco use remains the leading cause of premature morbidity and mortality in the United States. Young adults are less successful at quitting, use cessation treatment less often than smokers of other ages, and can be a challenge to retain in treatment. Social media, integrated into the lives of many young adults, represents a promising strategy to deliver evidence-based smoking cessation treatment to a large, diverse audience. The goal of this trial is to test the efficacy of a stage-based smoking cessation intervention on Facebook for young adults age 18 to 25 on smoking abstinence, reduction in cigarettes smoked, and thoughts about smoking abstinence.Methods/design: This is a randomized controlled trial. Young adult smokers throughout the United States are recruited online and randomized to either the 3 month Tobacco Status Project intervention on Facebook or a referral to a smoking cessation website. The intervention consists of assignment to a secret Facebook group tailored to readiness to quit smoking (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation), daily Facebook contacts tailored to readiness to quit smoking, weekly live counseling sessions, and for those in preparation, weekly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy counseling sessions on Facebook. Primary outcome measure is biochemically-verified 7-day point prevalence abstinence from smoking at posttreatment (3 months), 6, and 12 months. Secondary outcome measures are reduction of 50 % or more in cigarettes smoked, 24 h quit attempts, and commitment to abstinence at each time point. A secondary aim is to test, within the TSP condition, the effect of a monetary incentive at increasing engagement in the intervention.Discussion: This randomized controlled trial is testing a novel Facebook intervention for treating young adults' tobacco use. If efficacious, the social media intervention could be disseminated widely and expanded to address additional health risks.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02207036 , May 13, 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability in the developed world, yet broadly effective treatments remain elusive. Up to 40% of patients with depression are unresponsive to at least two trials of antidepressant medication and thus have "treatment-resistant depression" (TRD). There is an urgent need for cost-effective, non-pharmacologic, evidence-based treatments for TRD. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an effective treatment for relapse prevention and residual depression in major depression, but has not been previously studied in patients with TRD in a large randomized trial. Methods/Design: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether MBCT is an effective augmentation of antidepressants for adults with MDD who failed to respond to standard pharmacotherapy. MBCT was compared to an active control condition, the Health-Enhancement Program (HEP), which incorporates physical activity, functional movement, music therapy and nutritional advice. HEP was designed as a comparator condition for mindfulness-based interventions to control for non-specific effects. Originally investigated in a non-clinical sample to promote stress reduction, HEP was adapted for a depressed population for this study. Individuals age 18 and older with moderate to severe TRD, who failed to respond to at least two trials of antidepressants in the current episode, were recruited to participate. All participants were taking antidepressants (Treatment as usual; TAU) at the time of enrollment. After signing an informed consent, participants were randomly assigned to either MBCT or HEP condition. Participants were followed for 1 year and assessed at weeks 1-7, 8, 24, 36, and 52. Change in depression severity, rate of treatment response and remission after 8 weeks were the primary outcomes measured by the clinician-rated Hamilton Depression Severity Rating (HAM-D) 17-item scale. The participant-rated Quick Inventory of Depression Symptomology (QIDS-SR) 16-item scale was the secondary outcome measure of depression severity, response, and remission. Discussion: Treatment-resistant depression entails significant morbidity and has few effective treatments. We studied the effect of augmenting antidepressant medication with MBCT, compared with a HEP control, for patients with TRD. Analyses will focus on clinician and patient assessment of depression, participants' clinical global impression change, employment and social functioning scores and quality of life and satisfaction ratings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We evaluated the efficacy of a hepatitis care coordination intervention to improve linkage to hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination and clinical evaluation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among methadone maintenance patients. Methods. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of 489 participants from methadone maintenance treatment programs in San Francisco, California, and New York City from February 2008 through June 2011. We randomized participants to a control arm (n = 245) and an intervention arm (n = 244), which included on-site screening, motivational-enhanced education and counseling, on-site vaccination, and case management services. Results. Compared with the control group, intervention group participants were significantly more likely (odds ratio [OR] = 41.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 19.4, 90.0) to receive their first vaccine dose within 30 days and to receive an HCV evaluation within 6 months (OR = 4.10; 95% CI = 2.35, 7.17). A combined intervention adherence outcome that measured adherence to HAV-HBV vaccination, HCV evaluation, or both strongly favored the intervention group (OR = 8.70; 95% CI = 5.56, 13.61). Conclusions. Hepatitis care coordination was efficacious in increasing adherence to HAV-HBV vaccination and HCV clinical evaluation among methadone patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Alcohol and marijuana are among the most commonly used substances together with tobacco worldwide, but their relationship to smoking cessation is unclear. Although alcohol use decreases the likelihood of abstinence from tobacco, mechanisms of this effect have not been identified. Moreover, a small literature has yielded inconsistent findings regarding the effect of marijuana use on tobacco dependence treatment outcome. The aims of this study were to test increased positive-reinforcement smoking urge as a mediator of the relationship between alcohol and cigarette use and evaluate the impact of marijuana use on abstinence from tobacco.Methods: Participants were adult cigarette smokers (N = 739) from 3 randomized clinical trials of smoking cessation treatment. Alcohol consumption and marijuana use were assessed at pretreatment and postcessation. Biochemically verified, 7-day point prevalence smoking abstinence was determined at Weeks 12, 24, 36, and 52, as were urges to smoke as measured by the Questionnaire of Smoking Urges.Results: Increased positive-reinforcement urge mediated the effect of postcessation alcohol use on smoking abstinence. Although pretreatment alcohol use was associated with a decreased likelihood of abstinence from tobacco, increased positive-reinforcement urge did not account for this relationship. Marijuana use was not associated with abstinence from tobacco.Conclusions: Smoking cessation treatments should provide those who drink during a quit attempt techniques designed to mitigate positive-reinforcement urge to smoke. Additional research is needed to determine how pretreatment alcohol consumption exerts its effect on cigarette use. Modifying the use of marijuana might not be critical to the success of tobacco interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The treatment of alcohol and other drugs is now more commonly framed in terms of a chronic condition which requires ongoing monitoring. A model which includes continuing access to health care may optimize outcomes. Most studies of chronic care models have not included health care and have only examined short term effects. Methods: The sample (n =783) included consecutive admissions in ten public and private alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment programs followed over seven years. The outcome was remission which was defined as alcohol and drug abstinence or non-problem use. Results: In the private sample, receiving health care services predicted remission across the seven years; however this did not occur in the public sample. More patients in the public treatment sample received AOD treatment readmissions each year, while more of those in the private sector received psychiatric and general health visits. Except for drug problem severity, there were no other clinical differences between the samples. There were no differences in the proportions of patients in the two sectors who received the full spectrum of chronic care services. In the final models, 12-step participation was markedly significant for both samples. Conclusions: Models of chronic care for substance use need to consider differences between private and public treatment and should take into account that individuals may not always have access, or avail themselves of services that may optimize long-term outcomes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Aim: To evaluate potential mediators of an extended cognitive behavioral smoking cessation intervention. Design: Analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial of smoking cessation. Setting: The Habit Abatement Clinic, University of California, San Francisco. Participants: Participants were older cigarette smokers (≥50 years old). Those receiving Standard Treatment (N =100) were compared to those receiving extended cognitive behavioral treatment (N =99). Measurements: Negative affect was measured with the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the Medical Outcome Studies 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Abstinence-specific social support was measured with the Partner Interaction Questionnaire (PIQ). Motivation to quit and abstinence self-efficacy were measured on 1–10 scales with the Thoughts about Abstinence Questionnaire. All were measured at the beginning of treatment and week 52. Results: Analyses revealed that extended CBT increased abstinence self-efficacy over the first 52 weeks postcessation. This effect, in turn, was positively associated with 7-day point prevalence abstinence at week 64 while controlling for treatment condition, and eliminated the independent effect of treatment condition on abstinence. The test of mediation indicated a significant effect, and abstinence self-efficacy accounted for 61% to 83% of the total effect of treatment condition on smoking abstinence. Results failed to support a mediational role of negative affect, abstinence-specific social support, or motivation to quit. Conclusions: The results of the present study are consistent with theories of relapse and studies of more time-limited interventions, and underscore the importance of abstinence self-efficacy in achieving long-term abstinence from cigarettes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In a random assignment study, substance-abusing patients with HIV/AIDS in a public general hospital received a brief contact condition or received 12 months of case management delivered by paraprofessionals. Patient outcomes included substance use, HIV transmission risk, physical health, psychological status, and quality of living situation. In both conditions, a significant decrease occurred in a range of problems from Intake to the 6-month interview, followed by no significant pattern of change at 12- and 18-month interviews. On major outcome variables, there were no significant differences between the brief contact and case management conditions. Sixteen percent had died by the 18-month interview. Process data indicated wide variation in the amount of case management received by participants, and the amount of case management was not related to improvement in the outcome measures. The study has limitations yet does not support the hypothesis that case management improves outcomes better than brief contact for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: This study examined stability of remission in patients who were abstainers and non-problem users at 1-year after entering private, outpatient alcohol and drug treatment. We examined: (a) How does risk of relapse change over time? (b) What was the risk of relapse for non-problem users versus abstainers? (c) What individual, treatment, and extra-treatment characteristics predicted time to relapse, and did these differ by non-problem use versus abstinence? Methods: The sample consisted of 684 adults in remission (i.e., abstainers or non-problem users) 1 year following treatment intake. Participants were interviewed at intake, and 1, 5, 7, 9, and 11 years after intake. We used discrete-time survival analysis to examine when relapse is most likely to occur and predictors of relapse. Results: Relapse was most likely at 5-year, and least likely at 11-year follow-up. Non-problem users had twice the odds of relapse compared to abstainers. Younger individuals and those with fewer 12-step meetings and shorter index treatment had higher odds of relapse than others. We found no significant interactions between non-problem use and the other covariates suggesting that significant predictors of outcome did not differ for non-problem users. Conclusions: Non-problem use is not an optimal 1-year outcome for those in an abstinence-oriented, heterogeneous substance use treatment program. Future research should examine whether these results are found in harm reduction treatment and self-help models, or in those with less severe problems. Results suggest treatment retention and 12-step participation are prognostic markers of long-term positive outcomes for those achieving remission at 1 year. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Residential therapeutic communities (TCs) have demonstrated effectiveness, yet for the most part they adhere to a drug-free ideology that is incompatible with the use of methadone. This study used equivalency testing to explore the consequences of admitting opioid-dependent clients currently on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) into a TC. Methods: The study compared 24-month outcomes between 125 MMT patients and 106 opioid-dependent drug-free clients with similar psychiatric history, criminal justice pressure and expected length of stay who were all enrolled in a TC. Statistical equivalence was expected between groups on retention in the TC and illicit opioid use. Secondary hypotheses posited statistical equivalence in the use of stimulants, benzodiazepines, and alcohol, as well as in HIV risk behaviors. Results: Mean number of days in treatment was statistically equivalent for the two groups (166.5 for the MMT group and 180.2 for the comparison group). At each assessment, the proportion of the MMT group testing positive for illicit opioids was indistinguishable from the proportion in the comparison group. The equivalence found for illicit opioid use was also found for stimulant and alcohol use. The groups were statistically equivalent for benzodiazepine use at all assessments except at 24 months where 7% of the MMT group and none in the comparison group tested positive. Regarding injection- and sex-risk behaviors the groups were equivalent at all observation points. Conclusions: Methadone patients fared as well as other opioid users in TC treatment. These findings provide additional evidence that TCs can be successfully modified to accommodate MMT patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Drug-involved smokers may be less motivated to quit smoking because they expect smoking cessation to occasion adverse outcomes (e.g., exacerbation of drug use). Non-treatment-seeking adult smokers from the community (N =507) reported drug involvement, expectancies for smoking abstinence via the Smoking Abstinence Questionnaire (SAQ), and motivation to quit smoking (desire to quit and abstinence goal). Mediation analyses evaluated the indirect effects of binge drinking, marijuana, cocaine, other stimulant, opiate, and barbiturate/other sedative involvement on motivation to quit smoking through the SAQ Adverse Outcomes scale. Adverse outcomes expectancies accounted for a reduced desire to quit smoking and a lower likelihood of endorsing a goal of complete smoking abstinence among those involved with binge drinking, marijuana, cocaine, other stimulants, opiates, and barbiturates/other sedatives. Drug-involved smokers' greater expectancies for adverse outcomes upon quitting smoking may deter smoking quit attempts. Interventions are encouraged to counteract the notion that smoking cessation jeopardizes sobriety. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: This study examined the relationships between treatment fidelity and treatment outcomes in a community-based trial of a 12-Step Facilitation (TSF) intervention. Method: In a prior multi-site randomized clinical trial, 234 participants in 10 outpatient drug treatment clinics were assigned to receive the Stimulant Abuser Groups to Engage in 12-Step (STAGE-12) intervention. A secondary analysis reviewed and coded all STAGE-12 sessions for fidelity to the protocol, using the Twelve Step Facilitation Adherence Competence Empathy Scale (TSF ACES). Linear mixed-effects models tested the relationship between three fidelity measures (adherence, competence, empathy) and six treatment outcomes (number of days of drug use and five Addiction Severity Index (ASI) composite scores) measured at 3 months post-baseline. Results: Adherence, competence and empathy were robustly associated with improved employment status at follow up. Empathy was inversely associated with drug use, as was competence in a non-significant trend (p =.06). Testing individual ASI drug composite score items suggested that greater competence was associated with fewer days of drug use and, at the same time, with an increased sense of being troubled or bothered by drug use. Conclusions: Greater competence and empathy in the delivery of a TSF intervention were associated with better drug use and employment outcomes, while adherence was associated with employment outcomes only. Higher therapist competence was associated with lower self-report drug use, and also associated with greater self-report concern about drug use. The nature of TSF intervention may promote high levels of concern about drug use even when actual use is low. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]