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Substance misuse is one of the most common risk factors for health problems and premature death among adolescents and young adults worldwide. Although there are effective treatments for substance use disorder (SUD), there is still a need to further improve their effectiveness and make them easier to access. Early research suggests that substance-specific inhibition training, when used in addition to specialized treatment, can improve treatment outcomes. This training aims to strengthen inhibition specifically in situations with substance-related cues. The goal of this project is to offer this training for the first time in the form of a smartphone app, which is expected to increase the availability of the training. The main aim of the study is to evaluate whether this new app-based cognitive training is feasible as an add-on to the treatment of SUD in adolescents and young adults. In addition, the study will gather preliminary insights into whether the training affects drinking behavior and related brain processes. The project will be conducted as a double-blind, clinical pilot study. A total of 210 adolescents and young adults between 14 and 35 years old will be recruited from five specialized treatment centers. After the first study visit, participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: (1) an intervention group receiving the alcohol-specific inhibition training or (2) a control group receiving a similar alcohol-nonspecific inhibition training. During their participation, all participants will complete six short training sessions with the app. About one month later, they will complete six additional booster training sessions. This research may help develop effective, easily accessible tools to support young people with substance use disorder.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substance-specific inhibition training | Experimental | 12 sessions of substance-specific inhibition training |
|
| Control training | Active Comparator | 12 sessions of unspecific inhibition training |
|
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substance-specific inhibition training | Other | Twelve sessions of substance-specific inhibition training |
|
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants recruited | Number of participants recruited during the recruitment period in all participating clinical centers is one indicator of the feasibility of implementing substance-specific inhibition training in a smartphone app. | From enrollment to the last assessment, approx. 16 weeks |
| Number of participants successfully completing the program | Number of participants successfully completing the program is one indicator of the feasibility of implementing substance-specific inhibition training in a smartphone app. | At the last assessment, approx. 16 weeks from enrollment |
| Proportion of participants completing the follow-up visits | Proportion of participants completing the follow-up visits is another indicator of feasibility. | At the last assessment, approx. 16 weeks from enrolment |
| Number of participants adhering to the treatment | Number of participants adhering to the treatment, i.e. participating in all planned twelve training sessions, is another indicator of feasibility of implementing substance-specific inhibition training in a smartphone app. | From enrollment to last last training session, approx. 10 weeks |
| Number of adverse events | Number of adverse events is another indicator of feasibility of implementing substance-specific inhibition training in a smartphone app. | From enrollment to the last assessment, approx. 16 weeks |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of days abstinent | Percentage of days abstinent is the main secondary outcome indicating preliminary effects on consumption behavior. It is measured by the Timeline Follow-Back method at 3-month follow-up. | At the last assessment, approx. 16 weeks from enrolment |
| Number of heavy drinking days |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Additional exclusion criteria for Electroencephalography (EEG)-substudy:
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| Name | Role | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Stein, PD Dr. | Contact | +41 31 684 54 12 | maria.stein@unibe.ch |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Maria Stein, PD Dr. | University of Bern | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Bern | Recruiting | Bern | Switzerland |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42099725 | Derived | Schuerch K, Koenig T, Guarriello A, Soravia L, Berger T, Adorjan K, Moggi F, Stein M. Mobile alcohol-specific inhibition training in adolescents and young adults with alcohol use disorder: study protocol for a randomized controlled feasibility trial. Front Psychol. 2026 Apr 22;17:1684231. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1684231. eCollection 2026. |
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The decision to share IPD depends on the explicit consent provided by participants as part of the informed consent process. Since it is not possible to determine in advance whether participants will grant permission for data sharing, IPD sharing is not planned.
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| Control training | Other | Twelve sessions of unspecific inhibition training |
|
Number of heavy drinking days is another secondary outcome indicating preliminary effects on drinking behavior. It is measured by the Timeline Follow-Back method at 3-month follow-up. |
| At the last assessment, approx. 16 weeks from enrolment |
| P3-component of event-related potentials | The P3-component of event-related potentials measured with electroencephalography (EEG) is used as a secondary outcome in the EEG- substudy to investigate whether substance-specific inhibition training modifies the neurophysiology of substance-specific inhibition | 4-6 weeks. |
| N2-component of event-related potentials | The N2-component of event-related potentials measured with electroencephalography (EEG) is used as a secondary outcome in the EEG- substudy to investigate whether substance-specific inhibition training modifies the neurophysiology of substance-specific inhibition | 4-6 weeks. |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000437 | Alcoholism |
| D019966 | Substance-Related Disorders |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D019973 | Alcohol-Related Disorders |
| D064419 | Chemically-Induced Disorders |
| D001523 | Mental Disorders |
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