Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2008 Apr;103(4):638-48.
doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2008.02137.x.

Coping skills training and contingency management treatments for marijuana dependence: exploring mechanisms of behavior change

Mark D Litt  1 , Ronald M Kadden, Elise Kabela-Cormier, Nancy M Petry
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Coping skills training and contingency management treatments for marijuana dependence: exploring mechanisms of behavior change

Mark D Litt et al. Addiction. 2008 Apr.

Abstract

Aims: Achieving abstinence in the treatment of marijuana dependence has been difficult. To date the most successful treatments have included combinations of motivation enhancement treatment (MET) plus cognitive-behavioral coping skills training (CBT) and/or contingency management (ContM) approaches. Although these treatment approaches are theoretically based, their mechanisms of action have not been explored fully. The purpose of the present study was to explore mechanisms of behavior change from a marijuana treatment trial in which CBT and ContM were evaluated separately and in combination.

Design: A dismantling design was used in the context of a randomized clinical trial.

Setting: The setting was an out-patient treatment research facility located in a university medical center.

Participants: Participants were 240 adult marijuana smokers, meeting criteria for cannabis dependence.

Interventions: Participants were assigned to one of four 9-week treatment conditions: a case management control condition, MET/CBT coping skills training, ContM and MET/CBT + ContM.

Measurements: Outcome measures were total 90-day abstinence, recorded every 90 days for 12 months post-treatment.

Findings: Regardless of treatment condition, abstinence in near-term follow-ups was predicted most clearly by abstinence during treatment, but long-term abstinence was predicted by use of coping skills and especially by post-treatment self-efficacy for abstinence.

Conclusions: It was concluded that the most efficacious treatments for marijuana dependence are likely to be those that increase self-efficacy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Total Coping scores by treatment condition over time.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Diagram depicting results of final structural equation model showing interacting effects of treatment conditions and mediating variables on 90-day abstinence outcomes through months 5 - 14. Values shown are standardized path coefficients. CFI = Comparative Fit Index. RMSEA=Root Mean Square Error of Approximation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration . Results from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings. Rockville, MD: 2006. Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H-30, DHHS Publication No. SMA 06-4194.
    1. The Marijuana Treatment Project Research Group Brief treatments for cannabis dependence: Findings from a randomized multisite trial. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2004;72:455–66. - PubMed
    1. Marlatt GA, Gordon JR. Relapse prevention: Maintenance strategies in the treatment of addictive behaviors. Guilford; New York: 1985.
    1. Budney AJ, Higgins ST, Radonovich KJ, Novy PL. Adding voucher-based incentives to coping skills and motivational enhancement improves outcomes during treatment for marijuana dependence. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2000;68:1051–61. - PubMed
    1. Budney AJ, Moore BA, Rocha HL, Higgins ST. Clinical trial of abstinence-based vouchers and cognitive-behavioral therapy for cannabis dependence. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2006;74:307–16. - PubMed

Publication types