Attention Training on Smartphones

Summary

Participation Requirements

Description

The goal of this study is to evaluate a new method that may influence attention, cravings and substance use called attention training, which will be delivered on a smartphone through an application (app). The study team would like to know what participants think of this new method and to determine i...

The goal of this study is to evaluate a new method that may influence attention, cravings and substance use called attention training, which will be delivered on a smartphone through an application (app). The study team would like to know what participants think of this new method and to determine if research involving this app is feasible. Eligible participants will use the app for a period of two weeks and attend a total of 4 appointments at our study location. A primary aim of the study is to assess feasibility, usability and acceptability of mobile Attention Bias Retraining (ABR) by quantifying adherence (in lab and natural environment), self-reported ease of use, perceived value and likelihood of future use. Another primary aim of the study is to determine if ABR reduces attentional bias (AB) for opioids in those with Opioid Use Disorders (OUD) compared to a control training condition. A secondary aim of the study is to assess whether ABR reduces opioid craving to a greater extent than a control training condition based on self-report. Another secondary aim is to assess whether ABR is associated with less opioid use during the training period than a control training condition based on self-report and urinalysis. An exploratory aim of the study is to measure levels of self-reported pain pre- and post- ABR. Another exploratory aim is to examine the durability of ABR effect on AB/craving/ opioid use at 1-month follow-up. Interested individuals will first complete a in-person screening appointment including a medical and psychiatric screening and questionnaires covering topics including substance and alcohol use, cigarette smoking, and sexual behaviors. Eligible participants who enroll in the study will next complete an orientation appointment when study staff will teach participants how to use the study app and answer any questions that arise. Participants will then be randomly assigned (like a flip of a coin) to one of two conditions. Each condition involves use of a smartphone app. One smartphone app includes a task that targets attention directed to substance-related cues while the other app includes a similar task that does not target attention in this way. Neither the participants nor the staff members will know which condition the participant has been randomly assigned to. Participants will be informed of the assigned condition by study staff after the completion of the study. In most prior studies, attention training has been delivered on a desktop computer in a laboratory setting. Initial research has shown that attention training can be used in real-world settings using hand-held devices such as smartphones.

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