A Brief Values Intervention to Support Veterans in Early Buprenorphine Treatment

Description

The US Veteran community continues to feel the impact of the overdose crisis, and opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnoses among Veterans continue to rise. Medication treatment (e.g., buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone) helps prevent relapse and reduce overdose risk, but does not help with the psychological, social, and functional challenges of early recovery. Therapies that focus on interpersonal functioning and community integration may help improve quality of life during this high-risk period. This research project will create and test a brief, values-based treatment to help Veterans improve their interpersonal functioning and community integration during early treatment. This study will have three phases. Phase 1 will involve the development of the treatment and adaptation using interviews with Veterans and VA Providers. Phase 2 will test the treatment with a group of 10 Veterans to make sure the treatment can be delivered as intended, and to make changes to the treatment or study procedures based on Veteran feedback. Finally, Phase 3 will test the treatment compared to usual treatment in a pilot randomized controlled trial with a group of 40 Veterans. This final phase will provide additional information about Veterans' experience of the treatment and study procedures and the preliminary effects of the treatment on quality of life and related outcomes.

Conditions

Dependence, Opioid

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

The US Veteran community continues to feel the impact of the overdose crisis, and opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnoses among Veterans continue to rise. Medication treatment (e.g., buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone) helps prevent relapse and reduce overdose risk, but does not help with the psychological, social, and functional challenges of early recovery. Therapies that focus on interpersonal functioning and community integration may help improve quality of life during this high-risk period. This research project will create and test a brief, values-based treatment to help Veterans improve their interpersonal functioning and community integration during early treatment. This study will have three phases. Phase 1 will involve the development of the treatment and adaptation using interviews with Veterans and VA Providers. Phase 2 will test the treatment with a group of 10 Veterans to make sure the treatment can be delivered as intended, and to make changes to the treatment or study procedures based on Veteran feedback. Finally, Phase 3 will test the treatment compared to usual treatment in a pilot randomized controlled trial with a group of 40 Veterans. This final phase will provide additional information about Veterans' experience of the treatment and study procedures and the preliminary effects of the treatment on quality of life and related outcomes.

A Brief Values Intervention to Support Veterans in Early Buprenorphine Treatment

A Brief Values Intervention to Support Veterans in Early Buprenorphine Treatment

Condition
Dependence, Opioid
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Bedford

VA Bedford HealthCare System, Bedford, MA, Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, 01730-1114

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Meets current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - 5th Edition criteria for moderate to severe opioid use disorder
  • * Within 12 weeks of initiating buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone treatment for opioid use disorder following at least 2 months without treatment
  • * Competent to provide written informed consent
  • * Evidence of active psychosis or mania
  • * Suicidality requiring inpatient hospitalization
  • * Active substance use requiring detoxification
  • * Cognitive impairment that would interfere with study participation

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

VA Office of Research and Development,

Victoria Ameral, PhD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, VA Bedford HealthCare System, Bedford, MA

Study Record Dates

2027-03-31