RecruitingACTRN12623000438651

Tu Whakaruruhau: The New Zealand Methamphetamine Treatment Evaluation Study

The evaluation of treatment outcomes for methamphetamine dependence in Aotearoa New Zealand

Sponsor

University of Auckland

Enrollment

320 participants

Start Date

Oct 26, 2023

Study Type

Observational

Conditions

Substance Dependence

Summary

Methamphetamine (MA) is the second most commonly used illicit drug in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). Regular/heavy users are likely to develop a dependence syndrome and experience a range of physical and psychological adverse effects; many will return to using following attempts at abstinence. Given these adverse effects, some people who use MA are likely to want or need to access treatment to help them reduce the harms associated with their use, and to ultimately quit. However, the availability of effective treatment options, and the evidence about what works for problematic MA use, is limited. The aim of this research is to improve our understanding of what treatment approaches reduce MA use and related physical and psychosocial harms, and to identify the predictors of positive treatment outcomes in NZ.

Eligibility

Sex: Both males and femalesMin Age: 18 Yearss

Inclusion Criteria6

Methamphetamine is the main drug of concern
Participants are aged 18 years of age or over
Participants have no severe cognitive disability that may affect their capacity to take part
Participants live in the Northland, Auckland, or Waikato regions of New Zealand.
Participants in the in-treatment-group will include those who have been admitted to treatment within the last two weeks of been screened for the study.
Participants in the Not-In-Treatment-Group [NITG] will include those who at the time of screening where not involved in formal treatment. NITG participants at screening will need to score 4 or more on the Severity of Substance Dependence Scale (SDS)

Exclusion Criteria1

People who, in the last 30 days, have received any treatment for methamphetamine /amphetamine use, any in-patient drug treatment or imprisonment. NB: Participants in treatment will not be eligible to participate in this study if they received any treatment for methamphetamine /amphetamine use (any in-patient drug treatment or imprisonment, in the 30 days prior to starting the current treatment episode).

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Interventions

Participants will be adults who meet DSM-5 criteria for stimulant use disorder. One group (the exposure group - in-treatment-group (ITG)) will be engaged in treatment at the time of the baseline inte

Participants will be adults who meet DSM-5 criteria for stimulant use disorder. One group (the exposure group - in-treatment-group (ITG)) will be engaged in treatment at the time of the baseline interview (Residential rehabilitation, or outpatient counselling, or detoxification) and the comparator group will not be engaged in treatment (NITG) at the baseline interview. All participants will complete a battery of questionnaires taking approximately one to one and a half hours at each assessment and will be followed up over two years (baseline, 3-, 12-, and 24 -month interviews). The questionnaires will cover substance use, co-morbid psychiatric diagnosis, general heath and wellness, criminal involvement, Blood borne virus risk behaviours, health service utilisation, treatment characteristics and treatment exposure.