Journaling and Addiction Recovery: Piloting "Positive Recovery Journaling"

NCT04458181 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: STUDY00004619-2
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 81
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The main objective of this study is to pilot test the Positive Peer Journaling (PPJ) \[later renamed "Positive Recovery Journaling" (PRJ)\] intervention and its feasibility and acceptability. A second objective is to compare individuals assigned to PPJ to individuals in a treatment as usual control group.

Conditions

Addiction

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (12)

• Satisfaction With Life at Baseline

  Score on the "Satisfaction with Life" scale. This scale has 5 items assessed on a 7 point Likert-type response format. Scores range from 5 to 35 with higher scores representing higher satisfaction with life.

  Baseline

• Satisfaction With Life at 2 Weeks

  Score on the "Satisfaction with Life" scale. This scale has 5 items assessed on a 7 point Likert-type response format. Scores range from 5 to 35 with higher scores representing higher satisfaction with life.

  2 weeks (after Phase 1, the group phase)

• Satisfaction With Life at 4 Weeks

  Score on the "Satisfaction with Life" scale. This scale has 5 items assessed on a 7 point Likert-type response format. Scores range from 5 to 35 with higher scores representing higher satisfaction with life.

  4 weeks (after Phase 2, the independent practice phase)

• Satisfaction With Life at 8 Weeks

  Score on the "Satisfaction with Life" scale. This scale has 5 items assessed on a 7 point Likert-type response format. Scores range from 5 to 35 with higher scores representing higher satisfaction with life.

  8 weeks (the 1-month post-intervention)

• Happiness With Recovery at Baseline

  Score on a single item, "In general, I am happy with my recovery." This item uses an 11 point scale ranging from 0 to 10. Higher scores represent higher happiness with recovery.

  Baseline

• Happiness With Recovery at 2 Weeks

  Score on a single item, "In general, I am happy with my recovery." This item uses an 11 point scale ranging from 0 to 10. Higher scores represent higher happiness with recovery.

  2 weeks (after Phase 1, the group phase)

• Happiness With Recovery at 4 Weeks

  Score on a single item, "In general, I am happy with my recovery." This item uses an 11 point scale ranging from 0 to 10. Higher scores represent higher happiness with recovery.

  4 weeks (after Phase 2, the independent practice phase)

• Happiness With Recovery at 8 Weeks

  Score on a single item, "In general, I am happy with my recovery." This item uses an 11 point scale ranging from 0 to 10. Higher scores represent higher happiness with recovery.

  8 weeks (the 1-month post intervention)

• Commitment to Sobriety at Baseline

  Score on a single item, "I am willing to do whatever it takes to recover from my addiction." This item uses an 11 point scale ranging from 0-10. Higher scores represent greater commitment to sobriety.

  Baseline

• Commitment to Sobriety at 2 Weeks

  Score on a single item, "I am willing to do whatever it takes to recover from my addiction." This item uses an 11 point scale ranging from 0-10. Higher scores represent greater commitment to sobriety.

  2 weeks (after Phase 1, the group phase)

• Commitment to Sobriety at 4 Weeks

  Score on a single item, "I am willing to do whatever it takes to recover from my addiction." This item uses an 11 point scale ranging from 0-10. Higher scores represent greater commitment to sobriety.

  4 weeks (after Phase 2, the independent practice phase)

• Commitment to Sobriety at 8 Weeks

  Score on a single item, "I am willing to do whatever it takes to recover from my addiction." This item uses an 11 point scale ranging from 0-10. Higher scores represent greater commitment to sobriety.

  8 weeks (the 1-month post intervention)

Study Arms (2)

Treatment Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will complete the intervention, Positive Peer Journaling (PPJ), while also continuing to attend intensive outpatient treatment for addiction.

Behavioral: Positive Peer Journaling (PPJ)

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

There will be no intervention for those randomized to the control group. However, they will complete assessment instruments throughout the study period while also continuing to attend intensive outpatient treatment for addiction.

Interventions

Positive Peer Journaling (PPJ) BEHAVIORAL

PPJ is a journaling practice to support addiction recovery. PPJ encourages past 24 hour review and upcoming 24 hour planning to improve subjective wellbeing in recovery and reduce relapse. PPJ uses journals with column headings under which individuals make bullet-pointed lists. On the left hand page, past 24 hours is recalled, itemizing "good" and "bad" things that happened and things for which one is grateful. Good wishes for others are also expressed on this page. On the right hand page, values-based activities for the upcoming 24 hours are planned via headings representing valued life domains such as "recovery," "work/school," "spirituality," "home and household," and "health."

Treatment Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• meet DSM-V criteria for past-year Substance Use Disorder as primary or secondary diagnosis,
• English literacy sufficient to make short written lists needed to complete PPJ and homework assessments,
• minimum 2 weeks sustained abstinence,
• completed first 2 weeks of treatment at Nuway (approximately 2 weeks), an intensive outpatient substance use disorder treatment program and the recruitment site,
• agree to be audio recorded or transcription recorded in group meetings and in individual meetings with research staff,
• currently are clients in the Nuway outpatient program,
• participants must be English speaking and literacy must be strong enough to write short lists and to understand the questions asked in the questionnaires,
• participants must have an electronic device that connects to the internet and internet connection for online delivery of intervention during COVID-19.

You may not qualify if:

• presence of a psychotic disorder, psychiatric condition (e.g., suicidal ideation), or cognitive impairment (e.g., severe dementia, traumatic brain injury) limiting ability to give consent and/or participate in the study;
• severe psychiatric illness (current schizophrenia, major depression with suicidal ideation);
• personality disorders that would interfere with satisfactory participation in or completion of the study protocol,
• inability to give informed, voluntary consent to participate,
• lack of sufficient English literacy to participate, defined as inability to make a list of 5 things they did yesterday and inability to understand questionnaire items,
• any impairment, activity, or situation that in the judgement of the research staff would prevent satisfactory participation in or completion of the study protocol.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Minnesota: lead

Study Sites (1)

NUWAY

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55413, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Behavior, Addictive

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Compulsive Behavior; Impulsive Behavior; Behavior

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Amy R. Krentzman
• Organization: University of Minnesota

akrentzm@umn.edu

612-625-2312

Study Officials

• Amy Krentzman, MSW, PhD

  University of Minenesota

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 21, 2020
• First Posted: July 7, 2020
• Study Start: July 7, 2020
• Primary Completion: November 1, 2021
• Study Completion: November 1, 2021
• Last Updated: June 20, 2024
• Results First Posted: June 20, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)