Enhancing Addiction Treatment Through Psychoeducation: Evaluating the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Neuroscience-Informed Mobile App
Virginia Commonwealth University
Summary
Addiction is a brain disorder characterized by a broad range of both apparent and subtle cognitive impairments in attention, memory, executive functions, and decision-making. These cognitive problems are clinically significant and may contribute to poor treatment outcomes in people with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs), such as a high risk of dropout, low treatment compliance, and shorter periods of abstinence. Studies on cognitive function in SUDs reveal that chronic use of drugs and alcohol can also negatively affect another crucial component of cognition: awareness, or metacognition. Metacognition is defined as an individual's ability to perceive and understand their cognitive functions and use this understanding to regulate them. One of the key consequences of metacognitive impairments is the lack of insight in people with SUDs, which adversely affects treatment outcomes. Substance users with poor metacognition are more reluctant to initiate or continue treatment and are more likely to deny their cognitive problems. Therefore, improving metacognition may remove or reduce motivational barriers to invest time and effort in the recovery process in general, and in the brain recovery process specifically. Despite the importance of neurocognition and metacognition in the recovery process for substance users, there is a dearth of interventions designed to target these functions.
Description
To address this gap, the Neuroscience-Informed Psychoeducation for Addiction (NIPA) program was developed as one of the first initiatives in the field of SUDs to raise individuals' awareness about cognitive deficits (metacognition) associated with drug and alcohol use. NIPA is an app-based digital program that integrates neuroscience-based psychoeducation and game-based cognitive training. It consists of four 20-minute-long sessions covering neurocognitive functions commonly impaired in SUDs, such as attention, memory, cognitive flexibility, and impulsivity / decision-making. Each session incl…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * current DSM-5 opioid and/or stimulant use disorder * currently on medication treatment for SUD * owning a smartphone with sufficient functionality to download and utilize the NIPA app. Exclusion Criteria: * current psychosis, mania, or suicidal/homicidal ideation * non-English speaking
Interventions
- OtherInstalling the Metacognium software app
Participants in the NIPA+TAU group will be sent two, URL's (one for iOS and one for Android) for installing the Metacognium software app, which hosts the four NIPA sessions. Participants will be provided with unique ID for registering and using the program on the Metacognium app. The NIPA sessions will be locked until participants have completed their baseline assessment. Once participants complete each NIPA session, they will receive an email and/or text notifying them that the next session is unlocked and that they can proceed to complete it.
- OtherContinue treatment as usual
Continue your treatment schedule as usual with the for 4 weeks.
Location
- Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, Virginia