Expressive Writing for Co-Occurring Depression and Alcohol Misuse

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00818636
• Recruitment Status: Completed
• First Posted: January 8, 2009
• Last Update Posted: January 27, 2015
• Sponsor: Baylor College of Medicine
• Collaborator: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): Carrie Dodrill, Baylor College of Medicine

Tracking Information

• First Submitted Date: January 6, 2009
• First Posted Date: January 8, 2009
• Last Update Posted Date: January 27, 2015
• Study Start Date: August 2008
• Actual Primary Completion Date: March 2010 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
• Current Primary Outcome Measures (submitted: January 6, 2009): Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition [ Time Frame: Baseline, Post-writing (2 weeks post-baseline), and One Month Follow-Up (Six weeks post-baseline) ]
• Original Primary Outcome Measures: Same as current
• Current Secondary Outcome Measures (submitted: January 6, 2009): Number of Alcoholic Drinks Consumed [ Time Frame: 30 days pre-baseline compared to 30 days post-intervention ]
• Original Secondary Outcome Measures: Same as current
• Current Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures: Not Provided
• Original Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures: Not Provided

Descriptive Information

• Brief Title: Expressive Writing for Co-Occurring Depression and Alcohol Misuse
• Official Title: Expressive Writing for Co-Occurring Depression and Alcohol Misuse

Brief Summary

***Please note that this study does not offer comprehensive treatment program for alcohol abuse or depression. Please do not contact the study staff if you are seeking psychological treatment. Further, this study is only enrolling people who are clients at Career and Recovery Resources, Inc., in Houston.

The hypothesis is that writing about feelings and thoughts will help people who are in group treatment feel less depressed and abuse alcohol less.

• Detailed Description: Expressive writing applied to a variety of populations (e.g., HIV, cancer, PTSD, depression) has been associated with health improvements, reductions in symptoms of emotional distress, and one preliminary study found reductions in alcohol misuse among college students. Data suggest that expressive writing is a technique to facilitate emotional processing that can influence a number of clinical outcomes by facilitating cognitive restructuring (Hunt, 1998; Pennebaker, 2004). In addition to examining cognitive content change following expressive writing, we believe the effects of emotional writing on mood and drinking may involve two additional processes that have been found significant for both depression and alcohol misuse, namely experiential avoidance and ruminative thinking. We hypothesize that expressive writing will lead to less drinking and enhanced mood by reducing: (1) negative thought content, (2) experiential avoidance of unpleasant private events (e.g., negative thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations), and (3) ruminative thinking.
• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Phase: Not Applicable
• Study Design: Allocation: Randomized; Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment; Masking: None (Open Label); Primary Purpose: Treatment

Condition

• Depression
• Alcohol, Drinking

Intervention

Behavioral: Expressive writing (in addition to group therapy as usual).

Participants in the expressive writing condition write about their feelings about an issue of their choosing three times, for at least 20 minutes each time, during a two week period.

Study Arms

• Experimental: Expressive Writing
  In addition to attending group therapy as usual, participants write about their feelings about an issue of their choosing three times during a two week period for at least 20 minutes each time.
  Intervention: Behavioral: Expressive writing (in addition to group therapy as usual).
• Active Comparator: Treatment as Usual
  Participants attend group therapy as usual only.
  Intervention: Behavioral: Expressive writing (in addition to group therapy as usual).

• Publications *: Frattaroli J. Experimental disclosure and its moderators: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull. 2006 Nov;132(6):823-65.

Recruitment Information

• Recruitment Status: Completed
• Actual Enrollment (submitted: January 26, 2015): 89
• Original Estimated Enrollment (submitted: January 6, 2009): 160
• Actual Study Completion Date: December 2011
• Actual Primary Completion Date: March 2010 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)

Eligibility Criteria

***Please note that this study does not offer comprehensive treatment program for alcohol abuse or depression. Please do not contact the study staff if you are seeking psychological treatment. Further, this study is only enrolling people who are clients at Career and Recovery Resources, Inc., in Houston.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Enrolled in group therapy program at Career and Recovery Resources, Inc.
• Must be at least 18.
• Willing and able to participate in the study through the one month follow up.
• Able to provide the contact information of at least two people who can generally locate their whereabouts.
• Speak English fluently.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to read, write, speak English.
• History of bipolar or psychotic disorders.
• Severe medical, cognitive and /or psychiatric impairment that precludes cooperation with study protocol.
• Substance withdrawal symptoms requiring medical attention.
• Currently receiving other individual psychosocial therapy outside of C&R for substance abuse or other psychiatric conditions with the exception of AA, NA or CA.
• Impending incarceration or other factor that would create inability or unwillingness to participate in the 6 week long study period (e.g., halfway house or other aftercare program restrictions).

Sex/Gender

• Sexes Eligible for Study: All

• Ages: 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Contacts: Contact information is only displayed when the study is recruiting subjects
• Listed Location Countries: United States

Administrative Information

• NCT Number: NCT00818636
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1R03AA016819-01A1( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract )
• Has Data Monitoring Committee: No
• U.S. FDA-regulated Product: Not Provided
• IPD Sharing Statement: Not Provided
• Responsible Party: Carrie Dodrill, Baylor College of Medicine
• Study Sponsor: Baylor College of Medicine
• Collaborators: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Investigators

• Principal Investigator: Carrie L Dodrill, Ph.D.; The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston- ** This contact information should not be used for counseling or informational purposes**
• Study Chair: Angela L Stotts, Ph.D.; The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston- ** This contact information should not be used for counseling or informational purposes**

• PRS Account: Baylor College of Medicine
• Verification Date: January 2015