Feasibility of Telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Hong Kong Chinese Young Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Pilot Study

NCT07501130 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: ACT for young AUD
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Objective: The proposed study aims to develop a protocol of telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and examine the feasibility of implementing such intervention among the Hong Kong Chinese young adults with AUD. Study design: A randomized controlled trial will be carried out. A convenience sample of 60 young adults with AUD will be recruited from the community. Subjects who are randomized into the experimental group which will receive a total of 6 weekly telephone-based ACT provided by an experienced health counsellor, or into the control group which will receive social support provided by a research assistant, that mimics the time and attention of the intervention. Feasibility measures will be collected at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups. Also, all subjects will be asked to complete a structured questionnaire to assess their alcohol use behaviours and psychological flexibility at the same time points. Main outcome measures: The primary outcomes are feasibility measures by descriptive statistics. The secondary outcome is the preliminary effectiveness of telephone-based ACT in alcohol abstinence at 6 months Data analysis: Multiple logistic regression will be used for analysis. Intention-to-treat analysis will be applied. Multiple imputations will be used to handle the missing data.

Conditions

Alcohol Abstinence; Alcohol Use Disorder

Keywords

young adults; accepectance and commitment therapy; telephone-based; alcohol use disorder; alcohol abstinence

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (10)

• Screening rate

  It will calculate the number of young adults screened by the research assistant divided by the number of young adults available for screening during the recruitment period.

  Baseline

• Eligibility rate

  It will be calculated as the number of eligible young adults divided by the number of screened young adults.

  Baseline

• Consent rate

  It will be calculated as the number of eligible young adults who join the study divided by the number of eligible young adults.

  Baseline

• Randomization rate

  It will be calculated as the number of young adults who are randomized into the experimental and control groups, divided by the number of eligible young adults who consent to join the study.

  Baseline

• Attendance rate to the intervention

  It will be calculated as the number of subjects in the experimental group who complete the intervention divided by the number of subjects randomized into the experimental group.

  at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups

• Adherence to intervention

  It will be calculated as the number of subjects in the experimental group who practice the ACT skills gained in the intervention divided by the number of subjects randomized into the experimental group. It will be calculated at each follow-up.

  at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups

• Retention rate

  It will be calculated the number of subjects who remain in the study, divided by the number of subjects who are randomized. It will be calculated by groups at each follow-up.

  at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups

• Completion rate

  It is calculated as the number of subjects who answer the questionnaires divided by the number of questionnaires distributed.

  at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups

• Missing data

  It is defined as the percentage of missing in the dataset. Unknown or blank values will be regarded as missing.

  at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups

• Adverse event

  unfavorable and unintended events.

  at baseline (T0), 3- (T1) and 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Weekly alcohol consumption

  at 6-month (T2) follow-ups

• Psychological flexibility

  at 6-month (T2) follow-ups

Study Arms (2)

ACT

EXPERIMENTAL

Telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for young adults with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

Behavioral: ACT

Control

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Telephone-based social support

Behavioral: Social support

Interventions

ACT BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the experimental group will receive a total of 6 weekly telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) sessions.

ACT

Social support BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the control group will receive telephone-based social support weekly for 6 weeks.

Control

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• (1) aged 18 to 25 years,
• (2) able to read Chinese and speak Cantonese
• (3) drinking at hazardous levels as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT; score of ≥8)

You may not qualify if:

• (1) those receiving other behavioural therapy for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
• (2) having a diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University: lead

Study Sites (1)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Kowloon, Hong Kong

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alcoholism; Alcohol Abstinence

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 17, 2026
• First Posted: March 30, 2026
• Study Start: April 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2027
• Last Updated: March 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Locations

HK (1)