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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
The Feasibility of Goal Management Training to Address Cognitive Impairment in an Outpatient Alcohol Treatment Population: Findings from a Novel Case Series
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, Vol.23, pp.1-12
2025
Abstract
People with alcohol use disorder (AUD) exhibit high rates of comorbidity with cognitive deficits, particularly for executive function (EF). Cognitive impairment has been related to poorer outcomes in substance use treatment. Goal management training (GMT), a structured, therapist-led manualised intervention targeting EF, has demonstrated positive preliminary results in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs.. However, these studies have had strict exclusion criteria (e.g. excluding clients with mental health disorders), and the feasibility of running such a program in a broader SUD outpatient setting is unclear. The primary aim of this study was to determine the outcomes and feasibility of a cognitive remediation intervention at an outpatient alcohol treatment service in Sydney, Australia. Clients were referred to the study based on risk of cognitive deficits (as indicated by objective cognitive impairment on a screening tool or relevant collateral clinical information). Eligibility criteria included diagnosis of a current alcohol use disorder and abstinence for 2 or more weeks. The intervention consisted of 9 weekly GMT sessions. Out of 34 clients referred, 11 were eligible to participate, and of these, five were allocated to the intervention group and two to a waitlist control group. Due to poor recruitment, statistical analyses between groups were not possible; instead, this study presents a case series of the five clients recruited to the 9-week group intervention using GMT. Clients engaged in the intervention presented with a range of deficits in their cognitive functioning at baseline. Despite positive comments from participants regarding the intervention, there was a high level of attrition; while four clients (80%) completed at least four sessions, only one participant remained until the end of the nine-session program. In its current form, this program is not suitable for this cohort in the outpatient setting. Suggestions are made for tailoring GMT and other approaches to increase engagement and retention in future interventions.
Details
- Title
- The Feasibility of Goal Management Training to Address Cognitive Impairment in an Outpatient Alcohol Treatment Population: Findings from a Novel Case Series
- Authors
- Lauren A. Monds (Corresponding Author) - South Eastern Sydney Local Health DistrictAmy Crowe - South Eastern Sydney Local Health DistrictMaria Bravo - South Eastern Sydney Local Health DistrictNicole Ridley - South Eastern Sydney Local Health DistrictDavid Newcombe - University of AucklandRhys Mantell - UNSW SydneyNicholas Lintzeris - The University of SydneyAdrienne Withall - UNSW Sydney
- Publication details
- International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, Vol.23, pp.1-12
- Publisher
- Springer New York LLC
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11469-023-01052-8
- ISSN
- 1557-1882; 1557-1874
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Psychology
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991195437902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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