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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
Cue Exposure Therapy for the Treatment of Opiate Addiction: Results of a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial
Contributor:
Marissen, Marlies A.E.;
Franken, Ingmar H.A.;
Blanken, Peter;
van den Brink, Wim;
Hendriks, Vincent M.
imprint:
S. Karger AG, 2007
Published in:Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
Language:
English
DOI:
10.1159/000097968
ISSN:
0033-3190;
1423-0348
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
<jats:p><i>Background:</i> Persistent cue reactivity to drug-related stimuli is a well-known phenomenon among abstinent drug users and has been found to be a predictor of relapse. Cue exposure therapy (CET) aims to reduce this cue reactivity by exposing abstinent drug users to conditioned drug-related stimuli while preventing their habitual response, i.e. drug use. <i>Methods:</i> 127 abstinent heroin-dependent Dutch inpatients were randomized to CET (n = 65; 55 completers) and placebo psychotherapy treatment (PPT) (n = 62; 59 completers). It was examined whether CET would lead to a decrease in drug-related cue reactivity (using mixed-design ANOVA) and subsequently to lower dropout and relapse rates (using logistic regression) compared to PPT. <i>Results:</i> Both groups responded with a similar decrease in self-reported cue reactivity (craving, mood). The CET group did show a significant decrease in physiological reactivity (skin conductance) compared to PPT. However, dropout and relapse rates were, contrary to our expectations, significantly higher in the CET group. <i>Conclusions:</i> This is the first randomized controlled trial showing that CET, compared to a non-specific psychotherapy, might increase dropout and relapse rates among abstinent heroin-dependent clients in a drug-free setting. Caution is warranted when applying CET in this specific context.</jats:p>