Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33413631›Full record

Trial reportAddiction science & clinical practice2021

A novel brief treatment for methamphetamine use disorders in South Africa: a randomised feasibility trial.

K Sorsdahl, D J Stein, S Pasche, Y Jacobs, R Kader, B Odlaug, S Richter, B Myers, J E Grant

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Addiction science & clinical practice, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Psychosocial interventions for stimulant use disorder.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024
    Pooled it
  2. Motivational interviewing for substance use among adults in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review.The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

K SorsdahlAlan J. Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, 46 Sawkins Rd., Cape Town, 7700, South Africa. Katherine.sorsdahl@uct.ac.za.ORCID 0000-0002-5517-1697
D J SteinDepartment of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
S PascheDepartment of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Y JacobsAlan J. Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, 46 Sawkins Rd., Cape Town, 7700, South Africa.
R KaderDepartment of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
B OdlaugClinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
S RichterProfessional Data Analysts, Minneapolis, United States.
B MyersDepartment of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
J E GrantDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States.
South African Medical Research Council · ZAUniversity of Cape Town · ZAStellenbosch University · ZAUniversity of Chicago · USUniversity of Minnesota · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEffective brief treatments for methamphetamine use disorders (MAUD) are urgently needed to complement longer more intensive treatments in low and middle income countries, including South Africa. To address this gap, the purpose of this randomised feasibility trial was to determine the feasibility of delivering a six-session blended imaginal desensitisation, plus motivational interviewing (IDMI) intervention for adults with a MAUD.

methodsWe enrolled 60 adults with a MAUD and randomly assigned them 1:1 to the IDMI intervention delivered by clinical psychologists and a control group who we referred to usual care. Feasibility measures, such as rates of recruitment, consent to participate in the trial and retention, were calculated. Follow-up interviews were conducted at 6 weeks and 3 months post-enrollment.

resultsOver 9 months, 278 potential particiants initiated contact. Following initial screening 78 (28%) met inclusion criteria, and 60 (77%) were randomised. Thirteen of the 30 participants assigned to the treatment group completed the intervention. Both psychologists were highly adherent to the intervention, obtaining a fidelity rating of 91%. In total, 39 (65%) participants completed the 6-week follow-up and 40 (67%) completed the 3-month follow-up. The intervention shows potential effectiveness in the intention-to-treat analysis where frequency of methamphetamine use was significantly lower in the treatment than in the control group at both the 6 week and 3-month endpoints. No adverse outcomes were reported.

conclusionsThis feasibility trial suggests that the locally adapted IDMI intervention is an acceptable and safe intervention as a brief treatment for MAUD in South Africa. Modifications to the study design should be considered in a fully powered, definitive controlled trial to assess this potentially effective intervention. Trial registration The trial is registered with the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (Trial ID: PACTR201310000589295).

Indexed as

MethamphetamineAdultAmphetamine-Related DisordersCrisis InterventionFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansImplosive TherapyIntention to Treat AnalysisMaleMotivational InterviewingSouth AfricaMethamphetamineBrief treatmentFeasibility trialSouth AfricaSubstance use

Identifiers

PMID33413631
PMCPMC7791768
OpenAlexW3118404258

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.