Screening and Brief Intervention for Drug Diversion

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Phase 1

Sponsor: California State University, Long Beach

Disqualifiers: Immediate mental health services

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores ways to help college students who misuse or share prescription stimulants. It tests whether watching a video series or meeting with a provider can change these behaviors. Participants will either watch a video (eSBI, an electronic screening and brief intervention), meet with a provider (F2F), or be in a control group with no intervention. Students who have misused or shared prescription stimulants in the past three months and have a scheduled wellness exam are suitable for this study. As a Phase 1 trial, this research focuses on understanding how the treatment works in people, offering participants a chance to contribute to groundbreaking insights.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research has shown there isn't specific safety information for the electronic Screening and Brief Intervention (eSBI) treatment for drug diversion. However, eSBI programs have identified individuals at risk for substance issues and helped them receive support, suggesting the method is generally considered safe and helpful.

For the face-to-face (F2F) intervention, studies primarily examine the effectiveness of these methods in reducing drug misuse, but they also lack specific safety information. As this trial is in its early stages, researchers are closely monitoring the safety of both treatments. Early trials often prioritize ensuring participant safety, making it a top priority as the trial progresses. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores innovative ways to address drug diversion among students. Unlike traditional methods that often involve direct counseling or medication, this trial examines both digital and face-to-face interventions. The eSBI (electronic Screening and Brief Intervention) uses a series of engaging videos to deliver prevention strategies, offering a unique, tech-driven approach that can be more accessible and scalable. Meanwhile, the F2F (Face-to-Face) method provides a personal touch through direct interaction with a trained provider, which might enhance the effectiveness of the intervention. This trial could lead to more adaptable and effective strategies for preventing drug misuse in young populations.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for addressing prescription stimulant misuse and diversion?

Research has shown that electronic Screening and Brief Intervention (eSBI), one of the interventions in this trial, can help reduce alcohol use. It identifies individuals at risk of substance use problems and supports them in reducing drug use. Another intervention, face-to-face (F2F) sessions, has demonstrated effectiveness in lowering substance use when participants complete at least 60% of the program. Although digital methods alone may not be as effective, F2F approaches consistently yield good results in reducing harm. Both methods hold promise for addressing misuse and sharing of prescription stimulants among college students. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for college students aged 18+ who have a history of prescription stimulant misuse or diversion in the past three months, or those scheduled for a physical/wellness exam at the campus where the intervention takes place. Students needing urgent mental health services during the study will be excluded.

Inclusion Criteria

Active recruitment: Student has a past 3 month history of PSM or PSD

I have an upcoming physical or wellness exam scheduled.

I am 18 or older and a student at the intervention site.

Exclusion Criteria

Any eligible student who, during the course of the session, demonstrates the need for immediate mental health services, will have the study session terminated so that participant can receive needed care.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants receive either a face-to-face or e-intervention focused on prevention or brief intervention for prescription stimulant misuse and diversion

4 weeks

1 visit (in-person) for F2F group, 1 session (virtual) for eSBI group

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in prescription stimulant misuse and diversion behaviors

4 weeks

2 assessments (virtual)

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• eSBI

Trial Overview The trial is testing three approaches to address prescription stimulant misuse among college students: a control group with no intervention, face-to-face counseling (F2F), and electronic screening and brief intervention (eSBI). It's designed to see how feasible and effective these methods are.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: eSBI Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

After T1 assessment, students watch and respond to a prevention or brief intervention video series. Students then complete assessments at two additional times.

Group II: F2F Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

After T1 assessment, students meet with a trained provider and receive prevention or brief intervention. Students then complete assessments at two additional times.

Group III: Control Placebo Group 1 Intervention

Students complete the assessments at each time point, but do not receive any intervention or informational material.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

California State University, Long Beach

Lead Sponsor

Trials

7

Recruited

5,500+

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Collaborator

Trials

2,658

Recruited

3,409,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

This study is evaluating the effectiveness of the Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) approach for illicit drug use through a randomized controlled trial involving 700 participants in emergency departments, aiming to provide valuable insights into its efficacy.

The training of bicultural health educators (HEs) in motivational interviewing and their ongoing evaluation contributed to successful participant recruitment and skill mastery, highlighting the importance of well-prepared staff in delivering effective interventions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Randomized controlled trial to evaluate screening and brief intervention for drug-using multiethnic emergency and trauma department patients. Eisenberg, K., Woodruff, SI.[2021]

Citations

1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27220276/

Effectiveness of a Web-Based Screening and Fully ... This study evaluated the effectiveness of a targeted and fully automated Web-based brief motivational intervention with no face-to-face components on substance ...

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306460324001229

Electronic interventions in primary care to address ... Conclusions. Interventions using electronic methods are considered a promising and effective approach to address substance use through primary care.

3. bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-7583-6

A systematic review of the effectiveness of digital interventions ... Overall, five out of eight studies reported at least one positive outcome for harm reduction from substance misuse in a third level student ...

4. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09638237.2023.2245902

Full article: The effectiveness of digital health technologies ... The effectiveness of digital interventions for reducing substance use is generally weak, however, promising results such as reducing alcohol use were seen.

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2916744/

Evidence-Based Interventions for Preventing Substance Use ... The strongest intervention effects were observed among students exposed to at least 60% of the intervention; these students had significantly lower rates than ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2719877/

Prescription Opioid Abuse and Diversion in an Urban ... The results of this ultra-rapid assessment study indicate that prescription medications are diverted through a number of channels.

7. fda.gov fda.gov/media/105446/download

Table of Contents 3.5.2 Drug Diversion Data​​ A case results in a written complaint or report containing information about specific drugs found outside of controlled distribution ...

8. painphysicianjournal.com painphysicianjournal.com/current/pdf?article=NjMwMw%3D%3D&journal=120

A Systematic Review of Interventions and Programs ... Evaluation studies addressed mainly opioid prescription rate (30.6%), opioid use (19.4%), or doctor shopping or diversion (9.7%). Fewer studies.

9. aic.gov.au aic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/rpp097.pdf

Police drug diversion: a study of criminal offending outcomes These findings suggest that the outcomes of police drug diversion are generally positive. However, in the absence of an identifiable control group and ...

10. frontiersin.org frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1330436/full

A combined intervention strategy to increase linkage to and ... Noteworthy, is that “approximately 75% of drug overdose deaths in 2021 involved at least one opioid and 66% of deaths involved synthetic opioids ...