Adjunctive Motivational Alcohol Intervention to Prevent IPV
MET-SAH
1 other identifier
interventional
300
1 country
3
Brief Summary
This is a study to provide much-needed experimental data on the efficacy of a brief alcohol Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) pre-group intervention for Veterans receiving group treatment for IPV perpetration. The investigators will compare those assigned to receive this 2-session MET intervention to those receiving a 2-session Alcohol Education (AE) intervention or a 2-session standard treatment as usual (TAU) telephone monitoring intervention. The investigators will examine whether MET leads to greater reductions in alcohol use problems and IPV perpetration, and increased help-seeking behavior for alcohol use problems. Participants will be 300 Veterans drawn from the Strength at Home IPV intervention program across the entire Veterans Health Administration system.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Sep 2023
Longer than P75 for not_applicable
3 active sites
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
March 9, 2022
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
March 18, 2022
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
September 1, 2023
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
September 30, 2028
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
September 30, 2028
November 20, 2025
November 1, 2025
5.1 years
March 9, 2022
November 19, 2025
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Quantity/Frequency of Alcohol Consumption, Self-Report (QFV)
Participants will be shown a standard drink equivalent chart and will answer questions about their typical alcohol consumption quantity (in standard drink units) on weekdays and weekend days, typical drinking frequency (number of consumption days per week) on weekdays and weekend days, and the highest number of standard drinks consumed at a single occasion during the prior 3 months. If participants work unusual schedules, they will be asked to define the weekend as their day or days off from work. If participants report periods of abstinence and periods of drinking in the previous 3 months, the questions will pertain to periods of drinking. Scores will not be reported on a scale, so there are no minimum and maximum values to report.
Baseline, post-treatment, three-month, six-month, nine-month, and twelve-month follow-ups
Secondary Outcomes (1)
Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2)
Baseline, post-treatment, three-month, six-month, nine-month, and twelve-month follow-ups
Study Arms (3)
Motivational Enhancement Therapy
EXPERIMENTALMotivational enhancement therapy for alcohol use problems, which includes empathic support, feedback and advice, strategies for enhancing self-efficacy, techniques for eliciting self-motivational statements from the participant, strategies for addressing participant ambivalence about change and participant resistance to change, and methods for eliciting and affirming commitment to a specific change plan (active intervention).
Alcohol Education Control
EXPERIMENTALPsychoeducational intervention intended to: (1) dispel myths about the effects of alcohol, (2) provide information about the general risks of drinking and process of recovery from alcohol problems, (3) provide information about the specific risks related to family relationships and IPV, (4) offer self-help program information and related strategies to address drinking problems, (5) promote and encourage healthy decision-making, and (6) reinforce the benefits of abstinence or controlled drinking.
Telephone Monitoring
OTHERBrief supportive telephone monitoring sessions that are commonly delivered while Veterans wait to begin their groups (treatment as usual).
Interventions
In Session 1, the therapist provides personalized feedback on a range of assessment variables, including alcohol consumption levels, negative consequences from alcohol use, and family risk of alcoholism. Sessions 2-4 are follow-through sessions in which the therapist attempts to help the Veteran participant establish or reaffirm a commitment to an action plan for addressing alcohol concerns.
Will consist of 4 weekly individual sessions, approximately 60 minutes each. AE therapists will explain that their job is to provide the Veteran participants with information and education about the effects of alcohol, and that it is up to the Veteran participant to use this information as he sees fit. In each session, the Veteran participant will watch an educational videotape in a comfortable consulting room and will be given an opportunity to discuss the videotape with the project therapist for approximately 10 minutes. Written educational materials will supplement the information provided in the videos, and the therapist will ask several structured questions to determine whether the Veteran participant understood the material presented in the video.
Supportive telephone monitoring sessions that ensure equal spacing between assessments across conditions and equal number of therapist contacts.
IPV intervention which consists of 12 weekly, 2-hour cognitive-behavioral sessions offered in a closed group format and co-led by doctoral level male and female therapists. Strength at Home is based on a social information processing model of trauma and IPV and provides material covering psychoeducation regarding trauma and IPV, conflict and anger management skills, assertiveness training, and skills in stress management and communication.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- All Veteran participants must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- participant is a Veteran
- minimum age 18
- participant is enrolled in the Strength at Home program following program intake
- participant displays evidence of alcohol-related problems during program intake, as indicated by any of the following:
- a report of physical IPV while under the influence of alcohol in the past year
- a score of 8 or greater on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
- consumption of 6 or more standard drinks per occasion on one or more occasions in the previous 6 months
- average weekly consumption of 14 or more standard drinks in the prior 6 months
- participant provides written consent to participate in the study
You may not qualify if:
- None
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (3)
VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus, Jamaica Plain, MA
Boston, Massachusetts, 02130-4817, United States
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48105-2303, United States
Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55417-2309, United States
Related Links
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Casey Tyler Taft, PhD
VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus, Jamaica Plain, MA
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- SINGLE
- Who Masked
- OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
- Masking Details
- Assessors will be masked.
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- FED
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
March 9, 2022
First Posted
March 18, 2022
Study Start
September 1, 2023
Primary Completion (Estimated)
September 30, 2028
Study Completion (Estimated)
September 30, 2028
Last Updated
November 20, 2025
Record last verified: 2025-11
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share