CanCope: Digital Intervention for Coping With Cannabis Craving

NCT05328362 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: STUDY00032248
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 53
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The CanCope Study is a micro-randomized trial conducted to gather evidence about and compare the effectiveness of a momentary intervention to help young adults cope with cannabis cravings as they attempt to reduce their use.

Conditions

Cannabis Use

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Average Craving Level - Active vs. Control Messages

  Participants were asked to rate their level of cannabis craving on a scale of 0 - 10 five times per day where higher scores indicate more craving. Participants were considered available for randomization when craving \>=4 and they clicked the intervention message in the study app. To determine the effect of messaging on craving, we will calculate the average craving level for each EMA eligible for intervention and randomized to receive an active coping strategy message or a control message. It was pre-specified based on a priori power analyses for this small pilot study to combine the "mindfulness-based coping strategies" and "distraction-based coping strategies" interventions in the "Active Message" Row". Craving levels will be averaged across randomized observations. There were up to 140 decision points (5 EMAs per day x 28 days) per participant for the intervention period.

  Minimum 2.8 hours after each decision point; Maximum 12.8 hours after each decision point

Study Arms (1)

CanCope Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

The CanCope intervention was delivered through the MetricWire app which was available to each participant on their personal smartphone. The intervention included a "push" component which was responsive to a participant's level of craving (based on self-report assessed via EMA) and sent messages to each participant via the MetricWire app according to a decision rule. MetricWire randomized delivery of the push component with a probability of 0.33 for receiving a mindfulness coping strategy, 0.33 for receiving a distraction coping strategy, and 0.33 for receiving a thank-you message (attention control) at each decision point when participants were available for the intervention.

Behavioral: CanCope

Interventions

CanCope BEHAVIORAL

Messages prompted participants to use mindfulness-based or distraction-based coping strategies, or a thank-you message which served as an attention control. If participants reported elevated craving (4 or greater) prior to a decision point, they received either a coping strategy message or a control message. If participants reported craving levels of less than 4 they received a control message.

CanCope Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 19 Years - 25 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Used cannabis at least 10 out of the past 30 days

You may not qualify if:

• Currently pregnant or breastfeeding
• Currently in treatment for problems related to substance use

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Trustees of Dartmouth College: lead
• University of Michigan: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Center for Technology and Behavioral Health

Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03766, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Stanger C, Anderson MAB, Xie H, Nnaka T, Budney AJ, Qian T, Yap JRT, Nahum-Shani I. Momentary mindfulness versus distraction coping messages to reduce cannabis craving among young adults: A microrandomized trial. Psychol Addict Behav. 2025 Mar;39(2):200-211. doi: 10.1037/adb0001029. Epub 2024 Oct 17.

  PMID: 39418443 DERIVED

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Catherine Stanger
• Organization: Dartmouth College

catherine.stanger@dartmouth.edu

603-646-7023

Study Officials

• Catherine Stanger, PhD

  Dartmouth College

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

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

Model Details: Micro-Randomized Trial (MRT)

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 7, 2022
• First Posted: April 14, 2022
• Study Start: August 27, 2021
• Primary Completion: December 16, 2021
• Study Completion: December 16, 2021
• Last Updated: January 22, 2025
• Results First Posted: January 22, 2025

Record last verified: 2024-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)