Supporting Adolescent Alcohol Treatment With Computer-Based ('Path180') Skills Training

NCT07713251 | Recruiting DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 20230035102K24AA026326-06
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 112
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This 8-week clinical trial will test a computer-based skills training program called Path180 with 112 adolescents aged 13 to 19 who are receiving mental health counseling or outpatient substance use treatment. Participants will be randomly assigned to either standard treatment (treatment as usual) or standard treatment plus Path180. The study will use ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to closely track how Path180 may influence the use of CBT skills and clinical outcomes in daily life. The goal is to help make evidence-based treatment more accessible for underserved youth in the early stages of alcohol use disorder.

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Number of participants who complete the active treatment phase

  The number of participants who complete the active treatment phase will determine feasibility.

  8-week active treatment phase

• Number of Participants Who Rate Their Treatment Experience in the "Satisfactory" or "Highly Satisfactory" Range on the CSQ-8

  The Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8), which ranges in scores from 8 to 32 (higher scores indicate higher satisfaction), will determine acceptability. Treatment satisfaction will be considered acceptable if the number and percentage of subjects who rate their treatment experience in the "satisfactory" or "highly satisfactory" range on the CSQ-8 is ≥ 80%.

  8-week active treatment phase

• Number of heavy drinking days

  Number of heavy drinking days (NHDD) during the last four weeks of treatment (treatment Weeks 5-8), as measured by the Timeline Followback interview. NHDD is defined as the total number of days on which participants consumed 5 or more drinks (for males) or 4 or more drinks (for females). The analysis of NHDD will control for baseline NHDD (defined as NHDD in the four weeks preceding treatment).

  Last 4 weeks of treatment (Weeks 5-8)

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Drinks per drinking day

  Last 4 weeks of treatment (Weeks 5-8)

• Abstinent days

  Last 4 weeks of treatment (Weeks 5-8)

• Absence of heavy drinking

  Last 4 weeks of treatment (Weeks 5-8)

Study Arms (2)

Standard Treatment

NO INTERVENTION

Participants randomized to Standard Treatment will receive treatment as usual at a behavioral healthcare facility.

Path180

EXPERIMENTAL

Youth randomized to this condition will have unlimited access to the Path180 platform throughout the 8-week skills training period.

Behavioral: Path180

Interventions

Path180 BEHAVIORAL

Path180 is a 7-module computer-based skills training program designed specifically for teenagers. Whenever possible, participants assigned to this group will complete one module of Path180 at each of the first 7 weekly Check-in Visits. By educating teenagers about alcohol, boosting their motivation to change, and teaching a series of coping skills, Path180 was created to help youth cut back or stop drinking alcohol. Each module is brief (\~20 minutes) and uses a variety of strategies and interactive exercises to help teenagers learn new skills and apply them in their daily lives. Youth randomized to this condition will have unlimited access to the Path180 platform throughout the 8-week skills training period.

Path180

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 19 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Ages 13 to 19 years, inclusive; we will exclude children \< 13 due to diversity across adolescence and youths \> 19 because our focus is teenagers
• Seeking/receiving mental health counseling and/or outpatient substance use disorder treatment at Bradley Hospital or another national clinic/treatment service
• Self-reported alcohol use in the past year
• Meets criteria for a current DSM-5 alcohol use disorder assessed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children: Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS)
• Able to understand written and oral instructions in English, communicate understanding of the consent/assent form, and provide written informed consent/assent
• Complete all assessments required at screening.
• Provide contact information of someone, such as a parent or other family member, who may be able to contact the participant in case of a missed study appointment or follow-up assessment.
• Agree to the schedule of visits, verbally acknowledge that he/she/they will be able to attend each scheduled visit, participate in phone visits and that he/she/they does not have any already scheduled events or a job that may substantially interfere with study participation.
• If younger than 18 years, permission from the minor's legal authorized representative (e.g., caregiver, parent) is required, herein referred to as parent permission.

You may not qualify if:

• Current significant alcohol withdrawal symptoms (score \> 10) on the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-Revised (CIWA-AR); those with current significant alcohol withdrawal may be re-screened after stabilization
• DSM-5 criteria for a severe SUD besides alcohol, cannabis and tobacco
• Psychosis NOTE: Prospective participants diagnosed with psychiatric disorders not specifically excluded above may be included at the discretion of the principal investigator as long as the concurrent treatment for the comorbid psychiatric condition does not compromise the study integrity by virtue of its type, duration, or intensity.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Brown University: lead
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies

Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alcoholism

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Central Study Contacts

Robert Miranda, PhD

CONTACT

401-863-6658; Robert_Miranda_Jr@brown.edu

Kristin Rogers, MS

CONTACT

401-863-6463; kristin_rogers@brown.edu

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: June 17, 2026
• First Posted: July 20, 2026
• Study Start: July 7, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2028
• Last Updated: July 20, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Locations

US (1)