Real-Time Assessment of Drug Use, Along with Mental States and Environments

National Institute On Drug Abuse

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Assessment of episodes of drug use and its surrounding circumstances (precipitants, motivations, and outcomes) is complicated by the fact that each is often transient and difficult to recall accurately. Our group pioneered the use of real-time field-monitoring of drug-related behaviors using ecological momentary assessment (EMA), which had not rarely been attempted in participants who use drugs, except nonintoxicating drugs such as nicotine/tobacco. In a continuation of this project during the past two reporting periods, we analyzed and published results from a large EMA study in our nationwide sample of people who use the drug kratom. To complement the EMA data, we had also conducted an on-site substudy in which some participants took their kratom under our observation for pre-post behavioral and physiological assessment and a test in a driving simulator, providing information that was directly relevant to the project goal of assessing drug effects as they would manifest in daily life. We are now actively preparing the next set of projects. The focus on the drug kratom reflected the specific research interest of postdoc Kirsten Smith, who will continue working with kratom as a new faculty member at Johns Hopkins. With the collaboration of a new doctoral-level clinical psychology (currently an NIH Special Volunteer), we intend to use EMA and on-site methods for real-time assessment of cannabis use and CannUD, along with associated mental states and situational factors, as described above in “Goals and Objectives.” As we noted, the goal is not only to assess, but to lay the groundwork for new approaches to app-based interventions.