TY - JOUR
AU - L. M. Najavits
AU - E. Cha
AU - M. G. Demce
AU - M. Gupta
AU - A. M. Haney
AU - G. Logounov
AU - A. Miket
AU - M. Morency
AU - A. E. Schulhof
A1 - 
AB - BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) co-occur frequently and have deleterious impact. Seeking Safety (SS) - an evidence-based, present-focused, coping skills model - lends itself to mobile app delivery. OBJECTIVES: A novel SS mobile app is compared to a control app that lacks the interactivity, social engagement, and feature-richness of the SS app. We hypothesized that the SS app would outperform the control on primary outcome variables (substance use, trauma symptoms) and at least two secondary variables. METHODS: Outpatients with current PTSD and SUD (n = 116) were randomized to the apps; assessed were pre, post (12 weeks), and 3-month follow-up in this online study. RESULTS: The SS app outperformed the control on the primary outcomes, but not on secondary outcomes. Also both conditions evidenced significant change over time from pre to post, with gains sustained at follow-up. External medication and supports during the trial did not differ by condition. CONCLUSION: This first RCT on a SS mobile app had positive results for reduction in substance use and trauma symptoms compared to a control app. This is noteworthy as mental health mobile apps, in general, evidence few positive outcomes. Our substance use finding is also notable as psychosocial interventions in PTSD/SUD populations find it harder to achieve reduction in SUD than trauma symptoms. Our control app may have represented too strong a comparison and weakened our ability to find results on secondary outcomes by condition.
AD - Treatment Innovations, Newton Centre, Massachusetts, USA.; Department of Psychiatry, T.H. Chan School of Medicine, Worcester, MA.; Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA.; Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.; Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA.; Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.; University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.; Barnard College of Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
AN - 38012830
BT - Subst Use Misuse
C5 - Opioids & Substance Use; Healthcare Disparities; HIT & Telehealth
CP - 3
DO - 10.1080/10826084.2023.2280540
DP - NLM
ET - 20240125
IS - 3
JF - Subst Use Misuse
LA - eng
N2 - BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) co-occur frequently and have deleterious impact. Seeking Safety (SS) - an evidence-based, present-focused, coping skills model - lends itself to mobile app delivery. OBJECTIVES: A novel SS mobile app is compared to a control app that lacks the interactivity, social engagement, and feature-richness of the SS app. We hypothesized that the SS app would outperform the control on primary outcome variables (substance use, trauma symptoms) and at least two secondary variables. METHODS: Outpatients with current PTSD and SUD (n = 116) were randomized to the apps; assessed were pre, post (12 weeks), and 3-month follow-up in this online study. RESULTS: The SS app outperformed the control on the primary outcomes, but not on secondary outcomes. Also both conditions evidenced significant change over time from pre to post, with gains sustained at follow-up. External medication and supports during the trial did not differ by condition. CONCLUSION: This first RCT on a SS mobile app had positive results for reduction in substance use and trauma symptoms compared to a control app. This is noteworthy as mental health mobile apps, in general, evidence few positive outcomes. Our substance use finding is also notable as psychosocial interventions in PTSD/SUD populations find it harder to achieve reduction in SUD than trauma symptoms. Our control app may have represented too strong a comparison and weakened our ability to find results on secondary outcomes by condition.
PY - 2024
SN - 1082-6084 (Print); 1082-6084
SP - 459
EP - 466+
ST - A Seeking Safety Mobile App for Recovery from PTSD and Substance Use Disorder: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
T1 - A Seeking Safety Mobile App for Recovery from PTSD and Substance Use Disorder: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
T2 - Subst Use Misuse
TI - A Seeking Safety Mobile App for Recovery from PTSD and Substance Use Disorder: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
U1 - Opioids & Substance Use; Healthcare Disparities; HIT & Telehealth
U3 - 10.1080/10826084.2023.2280540
VL - 59
VO - 1082-6084 (Print); 1082-6084
Y1 - 2024
ER -