Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39730041›Full record

Trial reportJournal of substance use and addiction treatment2025

Text message-delivered cannabis use disorder treatment with young adults: A large randomized clinical trial.

Michael J Mason, J Douglas Coatsworth, Nathaniel R Riggs, Michael Russell, Jeremy Mennis, Nikola Zaharakis, Aaron Brown

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of substance use and addiction treatment, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

7 authors.

Michael J MasonCenter for Behavioral Health Research, College of Social Work, University of Tennessee, United States of America. Electronic address: mmason29@utk.edu.
J Douglas CoatsworthCenter for Behavioral Health Research, College of Social Work, University of Tennessee, United States of America.
Nathaniel R RiggsDepartment of Human Development & Family Studies, Colorado State University, United States of America.
Michael RussellDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, United States of America.
Jeremy MennisDepartment of Geography & Urban Studies, Temple University, United States of America.
Nikola ZaharakisCenter for Behavioral Health Research, College of Social Work, University of Tennessee, United States of America.
Aaron BrownCollege of Social Work, University of Kentucky, United States of America.

Funding

Treating Young Adult Cannabis Use Disorder with Text Message-Delivered Peer Network CounselingR01DA044206 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE KNOXVILLE · PI COATSWORTH, J DOUGLAS, MASON, MICHAEL JON · 2019 to 2023
$3.5M
NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA044206
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTwo scientific and clinical challenges for treating cannabis use disorder (CUD) are developing efficacious treatments with high likelihood of uptake and scalability, and testing the clinical mechanisms by which treatments work. Because young adults experience more CUD than other age groups, a need exists to test the efficacy and hypothesized causal pathways of novel treatments for CUD. Text-delivered treatments have the potential to reach young adults by increasing access and perceived privacy.

methodsWe conducted a randomized clinical trial (n = 1078) of a 4-week CUD treatment with U.S. young adults from Colorado and Tennessee. Participants were allocated to Peer Network Counseling-text (PNC-txt), a text-message delivered brief motivational interviewing informed treatment, or a wait-list control condition, and followed for 6 months.

resultsNo significant direct treatment effects on cannabis use were found between experimental conditions. However, significant treatment effects were identified on hypothesized mediators: readiness to change and protective behavioral strategies. Tests of indirect effects using latent change score mediation modeling showed the treatment group (PNC-txt) increased in readiness to change and protective behavioral strategies at the 1-month follow-up period, which led to decreases in the number of days participants used cannabis from baseline to 6-months, compared to controls.

conclusionsWhile no direct treatment effects were identified, PNC-txt appears successful in reducing cannabis use relative to controls indirectly by activating participants' motivation to change and through teaching harm reduction strategies. Results suggest targeting readiness to change and protective behavioral strategies as modifiable clinical mechanisms when treating CUD in young adults.

Indexed as

Marijuana AbuseMotivational InterviewingText MessagingAdolescentAdultColoradoFemaleHumansMaleTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultCannabis use disorderDigital clinical trialmHealthSUD treatmentText message-delivered CUD treatmentYoung adult

Identifiers

PMID39730041
PMCPMC11885044

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.