Alcohol Use DisorderNCT05419128
Family-focused vs. Drinker-focused Smartphone Interventions to Reduce Drinking-related Consequences of COVID-19
A study testing PartnerCHESS and ACHESS in people with Alcohol Use Disorder and Family Members, run by University of Wisconsin, Madison at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This R01 project titled "Family-focused vs. Drinker-focused Smartphone Interventions to Reduce Drinking-related Consequences of COVID-19" is a Hybrid II RCT/implementation study to modify and test two of our alcohol smartphone interventions to address the fallout from COVID. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Alcohol Use Disorder, Family Members, Behavior, Addictive
- What is being tested?
- PartnerCHESS and ACHESS
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 398 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 6 Apr 2022to 17 Jul 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Identified patients and their concerned significant others must give informed consent; agree to complete interviews at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months; and not have a mental or physical condition that limits smartphone use. Identified patients must be age 18 or older and meet criteria for risky drinking (for men, >4 standard drinks in a day; for women, >3 in a day), or meet criteria for AUD (any severity) defined by DSM-5 and have had at least 1 drink in the past 3 months . Partner must be a committed romantic partner/spouse, close friend or family member (e.g. sibling, parent, grandparent, adult child age 21 or older).
Who cannot join
- Individuals were not eligible if they had current (last 6 months) evidence of serious mental illness (eg, active psychosis, active manic phase), or if either partner reported serious interpersonal violence, to avoid risk of violence from engagement on potentially sensitive subjects.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
This R01 project titled "Family-focused vs. Drinker-focused Smartphone Interventions to Reduce Drinking-related Consequences of COVID-19" is a Hybrid II RCT/implementation study to modify and test two of our alcohol smartphone interventions to address the fallout from COVID. We propose a three-arm RCT comparing a smartphone control group vs. a drinker-focused intervention vs. a family-focused intervention. All study arms recruit dyads comprising a person who drinks and a family partner.
Read the detailed description
The current randomized controlled trial tested whether PartnerCHESS (an ACHESS intervention along with aspects of Alcohol Behavioral Couple Therapy designed specifically for individuals with alcohol use disorder and their concerned significant other) could reduce high-risk drinking and improve quality of life.
For this trial, 199 dyads (398 participants) were recruited from the community and randomized 1:1:1 to the PartnerCHESS intervention, ACHESS intervention, or smartphone control for 8 months with a follow-up at 12 months. Participants were part of a dyad: identified patients met criteria for high-risk drinking (defined by the DSM-5) and had at least one drink in the past month, concerned significant others were the identified patient's romantic partner, family member, or close friend aged 21 or older. Primary outcomes were identified patient percent high-risk drinking days, and quality of life for both identified patients and concerned significant others. Participants were surveyed at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months; PartnerCHESS and ACHESS usage data were continuously collected.
- Conditions
- Alcohol Use Disorder, Family Members, Behavior, Addictive
- Being tested
- PartnerCHESS, ACHESS
- Keywords
- mobile phone applications, quality of life, Alcohol Use Disorder, family therapy, high-risk drinking, alcohol behavioral couple therapy, COVID-19, mHealth, eHealth, ACHESS, PartnerCHESS
- Medical subject headings
- Alcoholism, Behavior, Addictive, COVID-19
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
PartnerCHESSBehavioural
The following ABCT services, from PartnerCHESS, will be available in the PartnerCHESS app but not in ACHESS:
ABCT tutorials. Interactive e-learning modules explaining key ABCT skills. Agreements between identified patient and concerned significant other to follow key principles.
Trigger identification and removal. Cravings discussion. Relapse plan. Reminders.
ACHESSBehavioural
ACHESS offers the following, which are also available in PartnerCHESS: Covid content, Instant Library, Discussion Groups, Personal Stories, Location Monitor, Surveys and Ecological Momentary Assessments, Guided Relaxation, Healthy Activities, Crisis Button, Skills Reminders
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| ACHESS | Active comparator | In ACHESS, both the identified patient and the concerned significant other will receive a smartphone, but only the identified patient will receive the ACHESS app. The concerned significant other will receive a smartphone with contact information for standard AUD, SUD, and crisis support. Receives: Behavioral: ACHESS |
| PartnerCHESS | Experimental | In the PartnerCHESS arm, identified patient and concerned significant other will both receive a smartphone with the PartnerCHESS app, which contains ACHESS services plus ABCT/ PartnerCHESS services. Receives: Behavioral: PartnerCHESS |
| Smartphone Control | No intervention | Both the identified patient and concerned significant other will receive a smartphone with pre-programmed contact information for Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Al-Anon, Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA), and crisis hot lines. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
% of Patient Risky Drinking Days
Risky drinking day will be defined as greater than 4 drinks for men and greater than 3 drinks for women and will be measured through the Timeline Followback every 120 days. 8 months was the end of the intervention, 12 months was the final follow-up (4 months after the intervention ended).
Measured: 8 and 12 months
Secondary outcomes (3)
Psychological Distress
The OQ45 measures the patient's and partner's outcomes during treatment by assessing three sub-domains, Symptom Distress, Interpersonal Relations, and Social Role. Scores from the Outcomes Questionnaire-45 range from 0-180, the higher the score, the higher the symptoms of distress. Cut-off score: 63 or more - indicates symptoms of clinical significance A high score suggests that the client is admitting to a large number of symptoms of distress (mainly anxiety, depression, somatic problems and stress) as well as difficulties in interpersonal relationships, social role (such as work or school), and in their general quality of life. Reliable change: indicated when a client's score changes by 14 points or more.
Measured: Baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months
% Days Abstinent
% days abstinent will be measured through the Timeline Followback every 120 days.
Measured: Baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months
Relationship Satisfaction
Determined by use of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale - 7 (DAS-7) which is a brief version of the 32 question Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) and assesses the quality of marriage and similar dyads. Possible range is 0-36. Higher scores indicate more positive relationship quality. Scores less than 21 are considered to indicate a relationship in distress.
Measured: Baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted15 Jun 2022
- Study start6 Apr 2022
- Primary completion2 Jul 2024
- Study completion17 Jul 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for Alcohol Use DisorderStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of Wisconsin, MadisonThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 398 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- David Gustafson, PhD, Principal investigator, University of Wisconsin, Madison
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05419128
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2021-0943
- Other IDs
- 5R01AA029804
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 13 Jun 2022
- Last updated
- 19 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 19 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Family-focused vs. Drinker-focused Smartphone Interventions to Reduce Drinking-related Consequences of COVID-19
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05419128
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2021-0943
- Conditions
- Alcohol Use Disorder, Family Members, Behavior, Addictive
- Keywords
- mobile phone applications, quality of life, Alcohol Use Disorder, family therapy, high-risk drinking, alcohol behavioral couple therapy, COVID-19, mHealth
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 398 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Wisconsin, MadisonUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Study start
- 6 Apr 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 2 Jul 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 17 Jul 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 15 Jun 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 22 May 2025
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This R01 project titled "Family-focused vs. Drinker-focused Smartphone Interventions to Reduce Drinking-related Consequences of COVID-19" is a Hybrid II RCT/implementation study to modify and test two of our alcohol smartphone interventions to address the fallout from COVID. We propose a three-arm RCT comparing a smartphone control group vs. a drinker-focused intervention vs. a family-focused intervention. All study arms recruit dyads comprising a person who drinks and a family partner.
Detailed description
The current randomized controlled trial tested whether PartnerCHESS (an ACHESS intervention along with aspects of Alcohol Behavioral Couple Therapy designed specifically for individuals with alcohol use disorder and their concerned significant other) could reduce high-risk drinking and improve quality of life.
For this trial, 199 dyads (398 participants) were recruited from the community and randomized 1:1:1 to the PartnerCHESS intervention, ACHESS intervention, or smartphone control for 8 months with a follow-up at 12 months. Participants were part of a dyad: identified patients met criteria for high-risk drinking (defined by the DSM-5) and had at least one drink in the past month, concerned significant others were the identified patient's romantic partner, family member, or close friend aged 21 or older. Primary outcomes were identified patient percent high-risk drinking days, and quality of life for both identified patients and concerned significant others. Participants were surveyed at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months; PartnerCHESS and ACHESS usage data were continuously collected.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| ACHESS | Active comparator | Behavioral: ACHESSIn ACHESS, both the identified patient and the concerned significant other will receive a smartphone, but only the identified patient will receive the ACHESS app. The concerned significant other will receive a smartphone with contact information for standard AUD, SUD, and crisis support. |
| PartnerCHESS | Experimental | Behavioral: PartnerCHESSIn the PartnerCHESS arm, identified patient and concerned significant other will both receive a smartphone with the PartnerCHESS app, which contains ACHESS services plus ABCT/ PartnerCHESS services. |
| Smartphone Control | No intervention | –Both the identified patient and concerned significant other will receive a smartphone with pre-programmed contact information for Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Al-Anon, Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA), and crisis hot lines. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Identified patients and their concerned significant others must give informed consent; agree to complete interviews at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months; and not have a mental or physical condition that limits smartphone use. Identified patients must be age 18 or older and meet criteria for risky drinking (for men, >4 standard drinks in a day; for women, >3 in a day), or meet criteria for AUD (any severity) defined by DSM-5 and have had at least 1 drink in the past 3 months . Partner must be a committed romantic partner/spouse, close friend or family member (e.g. sibling, parent, grandparent, adult child age 21 or older).
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Individuals were not eligible if they had current (last 6 months) evidence of serious mental illness (eg, active psychosis, active manic phase), or if either partner reported serious interpersonal violence, to avoid risk of violence from engagement on potentially sensitive subjects.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| PartnerCHESSThe following ABCT services, from PartnerCHESS, will be available in the PartnerCHESS app but not in ACHESS: ABCT tutorials. Interactive e-learning modules explaining key ABCT skills. Agreements between identified patient and concerned significant other to follow key principles. Trigger identification and removal. Cravings discussion. Relapse plan. Reminders. | Behavioural | PartnerCHESS |
| ACHESSACHESS offers the following, which are also available in PartnerCHESS: Covid content, Instant Library, Discussion Groups, Personal Stories, Location Monitor, Surveys and Ecological Momentary Assessments, Guided Relaxation, Healthy Activities, Crisis Button, Skills Reminders | Behavioural | ACHESS |
Primary outcome
% of Patient Risky Drinking Days
Time frame: 8 and 12 months
Risky drinking day will be defined as greater than 4 drinks for men and greater than 3 drinks for women and will be measured through the Timeline Followback every 120 days. 8 months was the end of the intervention, 12 months was the final follow-up (4 months after the intervention ended).
3 secondary outcomes
Psychological Distress
Time frame: Baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months
% Days Abstinent
Time frame: Baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months
Relationship Satisfaction
Time frame: Baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 19 Feb 2026.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Alcohol Use Disorder
Active, not recruitingPhase 2
Evaluating Cannabidiol as a Novel Anticraving Medication for Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol Use Disorder
RecruitingPhase 1
Environment and Alcohol: A Pilot Study
Alcohol Use Disorder
Not yet recruiting
Connecting Online Military Personnel to Alcohol Harm-reducing Smartphone Support Study
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
RecruitingPhase 4
Temporally-Resolved Electrophysiology of Acamprosate Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol Use Disorder
Not yet recruitingObservational study
FLOW: Influence of the Menstrual Cycle on Alcohol Use in Women
Alcohol Use, Alcohol Consumption
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
David Gustafson, PhD principal investigator
University of Wisconsin, Madison
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing PartnerCHESS and ACHESS in people with Alcohol Use Disorder and Family Members, run by University of Wisconsin, Madison at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 19 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 22 May 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
% of Patient Risky Drinking Days (time frame: 8 and 12 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 19 Feb 2026.