Family support program to help teens with depression or anxiety who are in substance use treatment

Testing the Feasibility of a Family-based Adjunctive Treatment Protocol for Targeting Co-Occurring Internalizing Disorders Among Adolescents With SUD

This project will test whether adding a brief family support program (Fam-AID) to usual outpatient substance use care helps adolescents (ages 13–21) with depression or anxiety symptoms.

Quick facts

• Phase: NA
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Ages: 13 Years to 21 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (other)
• Locations: 4 sites (Jacksonville, Florida and 3 other locations)
• Trial ID: NCT06413979 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This R34 project develops and pilots an adjunctive family-support protocol called Fam-AID to address co-occurring internalizing disorders in adolescents receiving community outpatient care for substance use. Fam-AID is delivered with a primary caregiver alongside usual care and is designed to be briefer and easier to scale than intensive manualized integrated models. The protocol will be tested across three U.S. clinical sites for feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary clinical effects on internalizing symptoms and substance use engagement. Eligible participants are youth aged 13–21 enrolled in outpatient substance use treatment who have current depressive or anxiety symptoms or diagnoses, while those with severe acute needs (e.g., detox, inpatient) are excluded.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents aged 13–21 who are active outpatients for substance use, live with a primary caregiver who can attend sessions, and have current symptoms or diagnoses of depressive or anxiety disorders.

Not a fit: Teens who require inpatient hospitalization, detox or residential placement, have current psychosis, or have pervasive developmental disorders, or those without a caregiver able to participate, are unlikely to benefit from this outpatient adjunct.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, Fam-AID could reduce depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents and improve engagement and outcomes in outpatient substance use treatment.

How similar studies have performed: Previous integrated behavioral models for co-occurring adolescent substance use and internalizing disorders have shown some promise but tend to be intensive and difficult to scale, making this brief, family-focused adjunct relatively novel.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Youth is age 13-21.
* Youth lives with a primary caregiver who can attend treatment sessions.
* Youth endorses one or more DSM-5-TR symptoms for SUD and meets American Society of Addiction Medicine criteria for outpatient SU treatment.
* Youth meets DSM-5-TR criteria, or has elevated symptoms and impairment, for any of the following IDs: Current or Recurrent Major Depressive Episode, Pervasive Depressive Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
* Youth completes intake and is enrolled as an active case at study site

Exclusion Criteria:

* Illness requiring hospitalization
* Current psychotic symptoms
* Severe SU problems that require immediate relief (detox or residential placement)
* Pervasive developmental disorder.

Where this trial is running

Jacksonville, Florida and 3 other locations

• Gateway Community Services — Jacksonville, Florida, United States (RECRUITING)
• Lurie Children's Hospital — Chicago, Illinois, United States (RECRUITING)
• Indiana University School of Medicine — Indianapolis, Indiana, United States (RECRUITING)
• Roberto Clemente Center — New York, New York, United States (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Nicole P Porter, PhD

Conditions: Internalizing Disorders, Substance Use Disorders