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;16(2):132-43.
doi: 10.1037/1064-1297.16.2.132.

Computerized behavior therapy for opioid-dependent outpatients: a randomized controlled trial

Warren K Bickel  1 , Lisa A Marsch, August R Buchhalter, Gary J Badger
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Computerized behavior therapy for opioid-dependent outpatients: a randomized controlled trial

Warren K Bickel et al. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2008 Apr.

Abstract

The authors evaluated the efficacy of an interactive, computer-based behavioral therapy intervention, grounded in the community reinforcement approach (CRA) plus voucher-based contingency management model of behavior therapy. Our randomized, controlled trial was conducted at a university-based research clinic. Participants comprised 135 volunteer adult outpatients who met DSM-IV criteria for opioid dependence. All participants received maintenance treatment with buprenorphine and were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: (a) therapist-delivered CRA treatment with vouchers, (b) computer-assisted CRA treatment with vouchers, or (c) standard treatment. The therapist-delivered and computer-assisted CRA plus vouchers interventions produced comparable weeks of continuous opioid and cocaine abstinence (M = 7.98 and 7.78, respectively) and significantly greater weeks of abstinence than the standard intervention (M = 4.69; p < .05), yet participants in the computer-assisted CRA condition had over 80% of their intervention delivered by an interactive computer program. The comparable efficacy obtained with computer-assisted and therapist-delivered therapy may enable more widespread dissemination of the evidence-based CRA plus vouchers intervention in a manner that is cost-effective and ensures treatment fidelity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow of user activity with computer-based community reinforcement approach (CRA) plus vouchers program.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean weeks continuous abstinence from opiates and cocaine by treatment condition. Means sharing a common letter are not significantly different from one another.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Retention by treatment condition during 23-week treatment maintenance phase.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Mean weeks of continuous opioid and cocaine abstinence plotted by mean contact time with therapist during treatment by treatment condition.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abbott PJ, Weller SB, Delaney HD, Moore BA. Community reinforcement approach in the treatment of opiate addicts. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 1998;24:17–30. - PubMed
    1. Amass L, Bickel WK, Higgins ST, Badger GJ. Alternate day dosing during buprenorphine treatment of opioid dependence. Life Science. 1994;54(17):1215–1228. - PubMed
    1. Amass L, Bickel WK, Higgins ST, Hughes JR. A preliminary investigation of outcome following gradual or rapid buprenorphine detoxification. Journal of Addictive Diseases. 1994;13:33–45. - PubMed
    1. Ball JC, Ross A. The effectiveness of methadone maintenance treatment: Patients, programs, services, and outcomes. New York: Springer-Verlag; 1991.
    1. Bickel WK, Amass L. Buprenorphine treatment of opioid dependence: A review. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. 1995;3(4):477–489.

Publication types