Efficacy of the Unified Protocol for the treatment of comorbid alcohol use and anxiety disorders: Study protocol and methods

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and anxiety disorders (ANX) are each highly prevalent and frequently co-occur, resulting in a complex clinical presentation. The existing literature to date has not yet identified how to best treat comorbid AUD/ANX, partially due to limitations in understanding what factors and mechanisms are implicated in their co-occurrence. This manuscript describes the rationale and methods for an ongoing randomized-controlled trial designed to evaluate the efficacy of a cognitive behavioral intervention, the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP), compared to Take Control (TC), a psychosocial and motivational treatment serving as a control condition in this study, for comorbid AUD/ANX. Sixty individuals with comorbid AUD/ANX will be randomized to UP or TC, and complete assessments at pre- and post-treatment, as well as one- and six-month follow-up points. We hypothesize that the UP, compared to TC, will result in significantly greater reductions in drinking-related outcomes, as well as anxiety and depressive-related outcomes. Additionally, the current study is designed to evaluate exploratory aims to contribute to our theoretical understanding of why AUD and ANX frequently co-occur. Specifically, we will examine the relationship between changes in AUD and ANX symptoms in relation to changes in emotional disorder mechanisms, such as emotion regulation. Because the UP is a transdiagnostic treatment that specifically targets underlying components of emotional disorders generally, it may be well suited to effectively target comorbid AUD/ANX.