Download Free Sample

Introduction

In this report, we will be using three articles that are related to cocaine use disorder (CUD) and the effectiveness of the contingency treatment (CM). The three articles chosen are a randomized control trial (Miguel et al., 2022), the study of the impact of CM treatment on depression and anxiety (Yoon et al., 2020), and a review of the CM treatment on CUD (Kampman, 2019).

The study by Miguel et al., (2022) is a single-blind RCT done at a public ambulatory program. This study focused on smoked cocaine in Brazil as it poses a severe health problem in the country. It uses the intervention of CM treatment (providing vouchers of monetary value) along with the standard treatment given at the program and the control group received the standard treatment. The participants were equally divided, and results were based on the submission of cocaine-negative urinalysis twice a week. The study by Yoon et al., (2020) used a hypothetical cocaine purchasing task as a tool for determining the effect of CM treatment on the patient’s receiving treatment from cocaine abstinence. This study was based on the theory that cocaine demand is related to behavioral and economic factors. The participants had to submit urine samples thrice a week after receiving the CM treatment for about one month. Yoon et al. (2020) showed that participants who responded to CM treatment showed less demand intensity for purchasing cocaine. The study used Addiction Severity Index-Life (ASI-Lite) to record the use of substances by the individual before the CM treatment and during the one-month CM treatment program. ASI- lite scale also includes various other factors that affect the intake of substances like psychiatric, employment, social, and legal factors (Shouan et al., 2021). The study also screened the amount of substance and the frequency of intake by the individual using the Kreek-McHugh-Schluger-Kellogg Scale (KMSK). The review article by Kampman (2019) discussed many interventions for treating CUD including CM treatment. Voucher-based reinforcement therapy (VBRT) has been evaluated as the most effective therapy for treating CUD in association with community reinforcement therapy. On basis of various studies, the literature review suggested that the CM treatment of VBRT is more effective when given in association with other therapies such as drug counseling and CBT (Ainscough et al., 2017).

The RCT by Miguel et al., (2022) is a recent study done by the authors on the use of smoked cocaine. The sampling was done from a public ambulatory treatment program situated in the downtown region of Sao Paulo which is an extremely vulnerable cocaine market having various residents and visitors involved in the trading of cocaine. Thus, the sampling of the participants was following the aim of the research. The sample size was 98 and the research design used two groups, one control group having standard treatment given by the program and an intervention group having standard treatment along with CM treatment for 12 weeks. The strength of the study lies in the authentic sampling of the participants from a drug-prone region. Since the CM treatment was delivered by research staff and not the care providers of the program, therefore the real-life results may vary which could be the weakness of the study. The study could be more reliable and valid if a large sample size could be taken and the intervention given was from the treatment facility staff. Another study by Yoon et al. (2020) is also a recent study in which sampling of the participants was done among the treatment-taking patients of CUD. Various inclusion and exclusion criteria were used for including participants in the study. The sample size was 58 and the research methodology involved purchasing cocaine according to the socioeconomic status of the individual. The strength of the study lies in the fact that individual behavioral studies can be done using this procedure and in the fact that it is the first study that describes the demand for cocaine depending on the treatment provided. The weakness of the study is the small sample size which cannot describe the general response rate in every population. This decreases the reliability and validity of the study. the article by Kampman (2019) suggests a strong point of including other behavioral therapies along with VBRT for achieving abstinence from the CUD patients in real-life scenarios. The strength of the article is it discusses various other interventions such as psychosocial and pharmacotherapy along with CM treatment for the behavior. It also discusses the disadvantages of VBRT studies as being very costly as vouchers needed to be given to each patient as rewards. Also, the relapse of the addiction behavior may occur if the rewards are stopped. The article is relevant in context to the aim of studying various interventions in CUD patients.

All three research articles suggest that the CM treatment is an effective way of treating CUD and can have long-lasting retention to the treatment and could help in promoting cocaine abstinence. The study by Miguel et al., (2022) showed high odd ratios from 4.17 to 6.78 in groups receiving CM treatment for negative urinalysis reports. It could have a better clinical significance if repeated with a larger sample size and trained facility staff performing CM treatments. This could be applied as an effective strategy by the government of Brazil to reduce cocaine usage in the Brazilian population. The study by Yoon et al. (2020) is very relevant clinically for understanding the behavioral patterns of individual patients concerning CUD. This can be implied by giving patient-centered care to the patients who are suffering from the consumption of cocaine and can help in creating different interventions for targeting CM treatment and the demand for the drug even when it is provided for free (Q0). High demand for cocaine (88.5%) was shown by individuals not taking CM treatment. The article by Kampman (2019) can be clinically relevant as it describes the different ways of treating the CUD as no pharmacotherapeutic intervention has been made to date. The VBRT group showed 47% abstinence to cocaine use for two weeks or more than the control group. It discusses family therapy, intensive outpatient therapy, CM treatments, CBT, and various drugs for improving the quality of life in a CUD patient.

References

Ainscough, T. S., McNeill, A., Strang, J., Calder, R., & Brose, L. S. (2017). Contingency Management interventions for non-prescribed drug use during treatment for opiate addiction: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 178, 318–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.05.028

Kampman K. M. (2019). The treatment of cocaine use disorder. Science Advances, 5(10), eaax1532. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax1532

Miguel, A. Q. C., McPherson, S. M., Simõesa, V., Yamauchi, R., Madruga, C. S., Smith, C. L., da Silvaa, C.J., Laranjeira, R. R., McDonell, M, G., Roll, J. M., Mari, J. J. (2021). Effectiveness of incorporating contingency management into a public treatment program for people who use crack cocaine in Brazil. A single-blind randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Drug Policy, 99, 103464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103464

Shouan, A., Ghosh, A., Singh, S. M., Basu, D., & Mattoo, S. K. (2021). Predictors of retention in the treatment for opioid dependence: A prospective, observational study from India. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 63(4), 355–365. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_448_20

Yoon, J. H., Suchting, R., McKay, S. A., San Miguel, G. G., Vujanovic, A. A., Stotts, A. L., Lane, S. D., Vincent, J. N., Weaver, M. F., Lin, A., & Schmitz, J. M. (2020). Baseline cocaine demand predicts contingency management treatment outcomes for cocaine-use disorder. Psychology of addictive behaviors: Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 34(1), 164–174. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000475

You Might Also Like:-

The Future of Population in Asia Assignment Sample

The Practical Case on Why We Need the Humanities

Arts and Studies Assignment Help in Australia