Recruiting

Observational Study

Sponsor:

Brown University

Code:

NCT05169385

Conditions

Substance Use

Adolescent Behavior

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 12 - 18

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Parent SMART

Treatment as Usual

Study Details

Brief summary:

Adolescents in residential substance use treatment have serious substance-related problems and poor outcomes following discharge: follow-up studies indicate that 60% of adolescents treated in residential treatment will relapse within the first 90 days. Parenting practices have been established as a critical predictor of adolescents' substance use outcomes and likelihood of relapse following treatments, but parents are notoriously difficult to engage in adolescent substance use treatment. Findings such as these provide strong justification for targeting parents of adolescents in residential substance use treatment via easily accessible interventions.

This study tests the effectiveness of a technology-assisted parenting intervention called Parent SMART (Substance Misuse among Adolescents in Residential Treatment). The intervention combines an off-the-shelf computer program that teaches parenting skills called Parenting Wisely, four telehealth coaching sessions, and a networking forum that allows parents to connect with a clinical expert and with other parents. The investigators will compare adolescents who receive standard residential substance use treatment to adolescents who receive the same treatment plus whose parents receive Parent SMART. Investigators will test the comparative effectiveness of Parent SMART versus residential treatment as usual on parental monitoring and communication, adolescent substance use (i.e., days of substance use and substance-related problems), and substance-related high-risk behaviors (i.e., school-related problems, criminal involvement, externalizing behavior). The investigators will also test whether improvements in parenting partially mediate any observed changes in adolescent substance use and other high-risk behaviors.

Conditions

Substance Use

Adolescent Behavior

Study ID

NCT05169385

Start date

Mar 1, 2022

Status verified date

Apr, 2025

Completion date

Feb 2, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Feb 2, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 12 - 18

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria for Adolescents:

  • admitted to residential treatment due to concerns about frequency and/or severity of substance use
  • report alcohol and/or drug use in the past 90 days
  • be discharged to live with primary guardian
  • fluent in English or Spanish
  • willing and able to participate in a 2 hour interview prior to discharge from residential

Exclusion Criteria for Adolescents:

  • does not report alcohol or drug use in the past 90 days
  • discharge plan does not include living with primary guardian
  • not fluent in English or Spanish
  • not willing or able to complete baseline interview

Inclusion Criteria for Parents:

  • parent or legal guardian of adolescent aged 12-18 years inclusive, at project start
  • adolescent admitted to residential treatment due to concerns about frequency and/or severity of substance use
  • will be primary guardian living with adolescent after discharge from residential
  • fluent in English or Spanish
  • willing and able to complete the baseline assessment prior to the adolescent's discharge
  • access to a smartphone that can receive text messages and reliably access the internet

Exclusion Criteria for Parents:

  • not legal guardian of adolescent or adolescent not aged between 12-18 years
  • adolescent not admitted to residential treatment due to substance use concerns
  • will not be living with adolescent after adolescent's discharge from residential
  • not fluent in English or Spanish
  • not willing or able to complete the baseline assessment prior to the adolescent's discharge
  • does not have access to a smartphone that can receive text messages and reliably access the internet

Study Design

Enrollment

220 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Parent SMART

Parent SMART is a technology-assisted parenting intervention combining an off-the-shelf computer program (Parenting Wisely), up to four telehealth coaching sessions, and access to an app-based networking forum.

active comparator: Treatment as Usual

The active comparator is defined as residential treatment services as usual.

Interventions

Parent SMART

Parent SMART experimental intervention

Treatment as Usual

Residential treatment as usual

Primary outcome measure

  • Change in Parental Monitoring [ Time Frame: Baseline to 24 Weeks Post Discharge ]
  • Change in Parental Communication [ Time Frame: Baseline to 24 Weeks Post Discharge ]
  • Change in Family Assessment Task Interaction Ratings [ Time Frame: Baseline to 24 Weeks Post Discharge ]
  • Change in Proportion of Days Used Over the Past 90 Days Outside of a Controlled Environment [ Time Frame: Baseline to 24 Weeks Post Discharge ]
  • Change in Substance Use Problems [ Time Frame: Baseline to 24 Weeks Post Discharge ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Sara J Becker, Ph.D.

312-503-4203sara.becker@northwestern.edu

Sarah Helseth, Ph.D.

312-503-4203sarah.helseth@northwestern.edu

Locations

Rosecrance Health Network

Recruiting

Rockford, Illinois, United States, 61107

Hazelden Betty Ford

Recruiting

Plymouth, Minnesota, United States, 55441

Contacts

Quyen Ngo, PhD, LP

651-213-4106qngo@hazeldenbettyford.org

More Information

Sponsor

Brown University

Last update posted

Apr 3, 2025

Last verified

Apr, 2025

Keywords

  • adolescent
  • substance use
  • substance-related disorders

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Brown University on 2025-04-03.