title: Psycho-education for substance use and antisocial personality disorder: a randomized trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antisocial personality disorder often co-exists with drug and alcohol use disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  This trial examined the effectiveness of offering psycho-education for antisocial personality disorder in community substance use disorder treatment centers in Denmark. A total of 176 patients were randomly allocated to treatment as usual (TAU, n = 80) or TAU plus a psycho-educative program, Impulsive Lifestyle Counselling (ILC, n = 96) delivered by site clinicians (n = 39). Using follow-up interviews 3 and 9 months after randomization, we examined changes in drug and alcohol use (Addiction Severity Index Composite Scores), percent days abstinent (PDA) within last month, and aggression as measured with the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire-Short Form and the Self-Report of Aggression and Social Behavior Measure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall engagement in psychological interventions was modest: 71 (76 %) of participants randomized to psycho-education attended at least one counselling session, and 21 (23 %) attended all six sessions. The Median number of sessions was 2. All patients reduced drug and alcohol problems at 9 months with small within-group effect sizes. Intention-to-treat analyses indicated significant differences between ILC and TAU in mean drugs composite score (p = .018) and in PDA (p = .041) at 3 months. Aggression declined in both groups, but no differences between ILC and TAU were observed in terms of alcohol problems or aggression at any follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Moderate short-term improvements in substance use were associated with randomization to Impulsive Lifestyle Counselling. The findings support the usefulness of providing psycho-education to outpatients with antisocial personality disorder.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN67266318 , 17/7/2012.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Artillerivej 90, 2nd, 2300, Copenhagen S, Denmark. bt.crf@psy.au.dk.
authors.forename: Birgitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thylstrup
authors.affiliation: Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Artillerivej 90, 2nd, 2300, Copenhagen S, Denmark. ss.crf@psy.au.dk.
authors.forename: Sidsel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schrøder
authors.affiliation: Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Artillerivej 90, 2nd, 2300, Copenhagen S, Denmark. mh.crf@psy.au.dk.
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hesse
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003376:Counseling; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief / Q000379:methods*; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012919:Social Behavior; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy