Choosing a control group in effectiveness trials of behavioral drug abuse treatments.

Effectiveness trials are an important step in the scientific process of developing and evaluating behavioral treatments. The focus on effectiveness research presents a different set of requirements on the research design when compared with efficacy studies. The choice of a control condition has many implications for a clinical trial’s internal and external validity. The purpose of this article was to provide a discussion of the issues involved in choosing a control group for effectiveness trials of behavioral interventions in substance abuse treatment. It uses examples from the CTN to present four possible design options for randomized clinical trials conducted in community treatment programs involving treatment-seeking individuals.

Protocols cited include CTN-0014 (Brief Strategic Family Therapy), CTN-0020 (Job Seekers), CTN-0015 (Women and Trauma), and the unpublished protocol CTN-0025, which would have investigated the use of Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) and Al-Anon Nar-Anon Facilitation Therapy (ANFT) for partners of substance abusers.

Related protocols: CTN-0014, CTN-0015, CTN-0020