A Randomized Feasibility/Acceptability Trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for People with HIV Who Drink at Unhealthy Levels.

Unhealthy alcohol use is prevalent among people with HIV (PWH) and associated with significant health-related consequences. We describe here a randomized feasibility/acceptability trial of a brief, telephone-delivered transdiagnostic acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention for PWH who d...

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Published in:AIDS & Behavior Vol. 30; no. 6; pp. 1761 - 1777
Main Authors: Woolf-King, Sarah E., Dalton, Michelle R., Firkey, Madison, Sheinfil, Alan, Bucci, Veronica, Estrada, Brianna, Ramos, Jeremy, Hahn, Judith A., Bricker, Jonathan, Gump, Brooks, Bendinskas, Kestutis G., Maisto, Stephen A.
Format: research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Springer Nature Jun2026
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jun2026
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      pub: Springer Nature
      place: New York, New York
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        10.1007/s10461-025-04990-7
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        atl: A Randomized Feasibility/Acceptability Trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for People with HIV Who Drink at Unhealthy Levels.
      aug:
        au:
          Woolf-King, Sarah E.
          Dalton, Michelle R.
          Firkey, Madison
          Sheinfil, Alan
          Bucci, Veronica
          Estrada, Brianna
          Ramos, Jeremy
          Hahn, Judith A.
          Bricker, Jonathan
          Gump, Brooks
          Bendinskas, Kestutis G.
          Maisto, Stephen A.
        affil: https://ror.org/025r5qe02 Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, 13244, Syracuse, NY, USA
      sug:
        subj:
          Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
          HIV-Positive Persons Psychosocial Factors
          Alcohol Abuse Therapy
          Telehealth
          Patient Attitudes Evaluation
          Attitude to Medical Treatment Evaluation
          Research Subject Recruitment
          Research Subject Retention
          Treatment Outcomes
          Anxiety Prevention and Control
          Depression Prevention and Control
          Avoidance (Psychology) Prevention and Control
          Human
          Pilot Studies
          Comparative Studies
          Male
          Female
          Middle Age
          Funding Source
          Prospective Studies
          New York
          United States
          Self Report
          Audiorecording
          Interviews
          Descriptive Statistics
          Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design
          Behavior Therapy
          Biological Markers
          Psychological Tests
          Questionnaires
          Alcohol Drinking Prevention and Control
          Brief Symptom Inventory
          Summated Rating Scaling
          Alcohol Drinking Evaluation
          Random Assignment
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Unhealthy alcohol use is prevalent among people with HIV (PWH) and associated with significant health-related consequences. We describe here a randomized feasibility/acceptability trial of a brief, telephone-delivered transdiagnostic acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention for PWH who drink at unhealthy levels. This pilot trail was designed to match the procedures of a planned definitive RCT that will compare the ACT intervention to a brief alcohol intervention (BI). We randomly assigned PWH and unhealthy alcohol use 1:1 to either the ACT or the BI intervention and collected self-report and biomarker data post-treatment and again at 3-, 6-, and 12-months. The primary objectives of this pilot trial were to assess feasibility of recruitment, retention, and intervention delivery, and acceptability of intervention content. We also collected preliminary primary (alcohol use) and secondary (symptoms of anxiety, depression, and experiential avoidance) outcome data to examine general patterns of results at a purely descriptive level. In total, 192 participants were screened, 117 of whom were eligible, and 49 of whom were randomized to either the ACT (n = 24) or BI (n = 25) condition. Results provided evidence of feasibility and acceptability indicating that a definitive trial should proceed. Preliminary outcome data also suggested that ACT is a promising treatment for unhealthy alcohol use and co-morbid symptoms of depression, anxiety, and experiential avoidance. A definitive trial is currently underway and will determine the comparative efficacy of ACT versus BI for unhealthy alcohol use for PWH.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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