Intervention for Teens With ADHD and Substance Use



Status:Recruiting
Conditions:Psychiatric
Therapuetic Areas:Psychiatry / Psychology
Healthy:No
Age Range:12 - 16
Updated:8/30/2018
Start Date:July 2015
End Date:August 2020
Contact:William E Pelham, PHD
Email:wpelham@fiu.edu
Phone:3053480477

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Individuals with ADHD are at markedly high risk for increased substance use and Substance Use
Disorder (SUD). Given the strong evidence for the negative trajectory of individuals with
co-occurring ADHD and substance use initiation, the goal of this study is to conduct a
controlled examination of a brief, early intervention (BEI) for substance modified for
adolescents with ADHD. Importantly, this intervention will address individuals who are at
risk for problems with substance use, but do not yet meet criteria for severe SUD.

Although brief interventions have been found to be effective in other populations, their
efficacy in an ADHD population with emerging risk for substance use problems remains
uninvestigated. This study aims to understand why some adolescents with ADHD and elevated
risk for SUD respond to (BEI) and others do not. The investigators will test whether
situational and individual characteristics predict substance use development and response to
treatment. Further, this study will assess which types of additional treatment are most
effective for youth who do not respond to the initial BEI. It is hypothesized that rates of
adolescent substance use will be lower among adolescents who participate in study treatments.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a brief early intervention (BEI) for
reducing early alcohol and marijuana use in a group of 300 adolescents (age 12-16) with ADHD.
All adolescents will receive the BEI based on the Teen Intervene program with the addition of
enhanced decision making skills. Due to the existing support for the intervention and concern
for randomizing families with adolescents at risk for worsening substance use outcomes into a
control (no treatment) condition for one to two years, no control condition is used in the
current design at the first level of intervention. Similarly, due to the time required to see
a potential effect of the treatment (6 months post-brief intervention), a wait-list control
condition was not considered.

Adolescents will be evaluated for treatment non-response at 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months
post-treatment. Non-response is defined as non-normative use of alcohol, marijuana, or other
drugs during the past 90 days. Tobacco products are excluded from consideration. Adolescents
who demonstrate non-response to the initial BEI at any of the follow-up assessments will be
randomized to one of the following conditions: 1) Continued monitoring of substance use with
no additional treatment 2) Parent training and adolescent cognitive behavioral therapy
(PT/ACBT) 3) PT/ACBT plus concurrent stimulant medication (PT/ACBT + MED). Participants who
are randomized will be assessed at 6 months post-treatment and again one year later. The
difference in days of substance use at the follow-up assessments among the three conditions
will inform which type of intervention is best for youth who do not respond to the initial
BEI.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Diagnosis of ADHD

- At elevated risk for substance use problems as evidenced by at least one general risk
factor (e.g., elevated symptoms of ODD or CD, elevated conflict with parents, low
parental monitoring, or academic failure) and at least one substance use specific risk
factor (e.g., non-normative use of alcohol or other drugs, use of cigarettes or
e-cigarettes, parental substance use problems, family history of substance use
problems, peer or sibling substance use).

Exclusion Criteria:

- IQ < 80

- Current substance use disorder meeting DSM-IV criteria for the severe qualifier

- Psychotropic medications for ADHD or any other condition

- Active medical conditions that could be worsened by stimulants unless approved for
participation by the treating physician

- Diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and/or other psychotic disorder

- Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with a severity level of 2 or 3 or
significant intellectual or language impairment
We found this trial at
1
site
Miami, Florida 33199
Principal Investigator: William E Pelham, Ph.D.
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Miami, FL
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