Social Identity Mapping for Adolescent Recovery

NCT07474207 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 2025P0015141R34AA032288-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to address the gap between clinical treatment and adolescents' lived social environments by developing and testing a novel, interactive intervention-SIM-AiR-that directly targets social risk and protective factors. By helping youth visually and cognitively process their social identities and networks, SIM-AiR seeks to support more enduring recovery outcomes in adolescents (12-19 years old) with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The specific aims of this study protocol are to pilot the SIM-AiR intervention module and collect participant acceptability feedback and preliminary outcomes. The main questions it aims to answer are: What is the acceptability of the SIM-AiR treatment module from the perspective of participants? Do participants' acceptability ratings of the SIM-AiR treatment module vary by personal and/or social network characteristics? Clinicians will implement the SIM-AiR with an adolescent client. Clinicians will provide feedback to the study team on their experience to support future implementation. Participants will complete the SIM-AiR module during a treatment session with their clinician and participate in data collection with study staff (e.g., surveys, interviews) following the treatment session.

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

Keywords

Social network; Social Identity Mapping; Alcohol use disorder; Treatment; Addiction recovery; Adolescents

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• SIM-AiR Acceptability (Treatment satisfaction)

  The acceptability of the SIM-AiR module from adolescents' perspectives will be assessed using the validated Treatment Satisfaction scale. Participants will answer 5 questions on a likert scale of (1) 'Strongly disagree' to (5) 'Strongly agree'. Scores range from 5-25, with higher scores indicating a greater satisfaction with the SIM-AiR module.

  Baseline

• SIM-AiR Acceptability (Adolescent Treatment Engagement: Counseling Rapport sub scale)

  The acceptability of the SIM-AiR module from adolescents' perspectives will be assessed using the validated Counseling Rapport sub scale of the TCU Adolescent Engagement Form. Participants will answer 11 questions on a likert scale of (1) 'Strongly disagree' to (5) 'Strongly agree'. Scores range from 10-50, with higher scores indicating a greater rapport with the treatment counselor.

  Baseline

• SIM-AiR Acceptability (Acceptability of Intervention Measure)

  The acceptability of the SIM-AiR module from clinicians' perspectives will be assessed using the validated Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM). Clinicians will answer 4 questions on a likert scale of (1) 'Completely disagree' to (5) 'Completely agree'. Scores range from 4-20, with higher scores indicating a greater perceived acceptability of the SIM-AiR as a treatment module.

  Baseline

• SIM-AiR Appropriateness (Intervention Appropriateness Measure)

  The appropriateness of the SIM-AiR module from clinicians' perspectives will be assessed using the validated Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM). Clinicians will answer 4 questions on a likert scale of (1) 'Completely disagree' to (5) 'Completely agree'. Scores range from 4-20, with higher scores indicating a greater perceived appropriateness of the SIM-AiR as a treatment module.

  Baseline

• SIM-AiR Feasibility (Feasibility of Intervention Measure)

  The feasibility of the SIM-AiR module from clinicians' perspectives will be assessed using the validated Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM). Clinicians will answer 4 questions on a likert scale of (1) 'Completely disagree' to (5) 'Completely agree'. Scores range from 4-20, with higher scores indicating a greater perceived feasibility of the SIM-AiR as a treatment module.

  Baseline

Study Arms (1)

SIM-AiR

EXPERIMENTAL

As this is a single arm study, all participants will receive the SIM-AiR treatment module.

Behavioral: SIM-AiR

Interventions

SIM-AiR BEHAVIORAL

The clinician would engage the adolescent participant in the activity of social identity mapping (SIM) and use that to have a discussion, using motivational interviewing principles, about their social networks and social influences (supports, barriers) to treatment and recovery. The SIM process involves posing a series of questions to produce a visual map of the individual within their social network using paper, markers, and stickers. As this is a pilot study, this will be done once.

Also known as: SIM, Social Identity Mapping

SIM-AiR

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 12 Years - 19 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Eligible participants are adolescents (ages 12-19) enrolled as outpatient clients at an addiction treatment facility.
• Meet criteria for alcohol use disorder (mild to severe) as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-V).
• Be able to speak, read, and understand English.

You may not qualify if:

• Refusal to give informed consent, or if under 18 years old, do not have a parent willing for them to consent to participate.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Massachusetts General Hospital: lead
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA): collaborator
• University of Connecticut: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Recovery Research Institute; National Center on Youth Prevention, Treatment, & Recovery; Harvard Medical School

Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Jurinsky J, Cowie K, Blyth S, Hennessy EA. "A lot better than it used to be": A qualitative study of adolescents' dynamic social recovery capital. Addict Res Theory. 2023;31(2):77-83. doi: 10.1080/16066359.2022.2114076. Epub 2022 Aug 29.

  PMID: 37008756 BACKGROUND

• Hennessy EA, Jurinsky J, Cowie K, Pietrzak AZ, Blyth S, Krasnoff P, Best D, Litt M, Johnson BT, Kelly JF. Visualizing the Influence of Social Networks on Recovery: A Mixed-Methods Social Identity Mapping Study with Recovering Adolescents. Subst Use Misuse. 2024;59(9):1405-1415. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2024.2352618. Epub 2024 May 13.

  PMID: 38738809 BACKGROUND

• Blyth SH, Pietrzak A, Rodriguez WA, Litt MD, Kelly JF, Hennessy EA. A Qualitative Examination of Addiction Disclosure and Stigma among Recovering Adolescents. Addict Res Theory. 2025;33(4):286-293. doi: 10.1080/16066359.2024.2431598. Epub 2024 Nov 28.

  PMID: 40785814 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alcoholism

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Alcohol-Related Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Emily A Hennessy, PhD

  Recovery Research Institute; National Center on Youth Prevention, Treatment, & Recovery; Harvard Medical School

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Jaden Femrite

CONTACT

978-473-0222; jfemrite@mgh.harvard.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 6, 2026
• First Posted: March 16, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2028
• Last Updated: March 16, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)