Voucher inventive therapies are an innovative and efficacious drug abuse treatment interventions that can promote treatment retention and sustained abstinence. However, these are relatively new procedures and little is known about the influence on efficacy of their component features or about how these features might be tailored for improved efficacy in specific populations. This project proposes to explore parameters of voucher incentive procedures that could improve their efficacy in the methadone treatment population. The emphasis is on improved incentives for shorter periods of abstinence from cocaine than have previously been possible, and that has produced encouraging results in a preliminary study. This brief abstinence procedures will be systematically evaluated for efficacy as a treatment intervention to initiate periods of abstinence from cocaine. The Brief Abstinence Test will also be used as an assessment to investigate more broadly parameters of financial-based incentive therapies. We will examine 1) influence of incentive reinforcement magnitude on abstinence initiation outcomes 2) risk and benefits of providing incentives within a complex voucher system versus a system that provides direct cash payments and 3) influence on abstinence success rates of targeting single (cocaine, opiates) versus multiple (both cocaine and opiates) illicit drugs. The project utilizes within-subjects study designs that can provide data on efficacy of critical treatment parameters in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The information to be obtained will further advance our understanding of incentive therapies and how these can be tailored for improved efficacy in specific populations.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
3R01DA012439-05S1
Application #
6891983
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZDA1)
Program Officer
Mcnamara-Spitznas, Cecilia M
Project Start
1999-09-15
Project End
2005-08-31
Budget Start
2003-09-01
Budget End
2005-08-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$316,074
Indirect Cost
Name
Johns Hopkins University
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
001910777
City
Baltimore
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
21218
Vandrey, Ryan; Bigelow, George E; Stitzer, Maxine L (2007) Contingency management in cocaine abusers: a dose-effect comparison of goods-based versus cash-based incentives. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 15:338-43
Correia, Christopher J; Sigmon, Stacey C; Silverman, Kenneth et al. (2005) A comparison of voucher-delivery schedules for the initiation of cocaine abstinence. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 13:253-8
Sigmon, Stacey C; Stitzer, Maxine L (2005) Use of a low-cost incentive intervention to improve counseling attendance among methadone-maintained patients. J Subst Abuse Treat 29:253-8
Rosado, James; Sigmon, Stacey C; Jones, Hendree E et al. (2005) Cash value of voucher reinforcers in pregnant drug-dependent women. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 13:41-7
Sigmon, Stacey C; Correia, Christopher J; Stitzer, Maxine L (2004) Cocaine abstinence during methadone maintenance: effects of repeated brief exposure to voucher-based reinforcement. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 12:269-75
Correia, Christopher J; Dallery, Jesse; Katz, Elizabeth C et al. (2003) Single- versus dual-drug target: effects in a brief abstinence incentive procedure. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 11:302-8
Katz, Elizabeth C; Robles-Sotelo, Elias; Correia, Christopher J et al. (2002) The brief abstinence test: effects of continued incentive availability on cocaine abstinence. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 10:10-7