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The Vermont Center on Behavior and Health (VCBH), led by Director Stephen T. Higgins, PhD, is an interdisciplinary research center committed to investigating relationships between personal behavior patterns (i.e., lifestyle) and risk for chronic disease and premature death. Our work has historically focused on health disparities for the most vulnerable populations, particularly among the socioeconomically disadvantaged where these risk factors are overrepresented.

 

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Located in Burlington, VT at the University of Vermont, Larner College of Medicine, VCBH researchers have a specific focus on understanding mechanisms underpinning risk and developing effective interventions and policies to promote healthy behavior. A common thread across VCBH research projects is the application of knowledge from the disciplines of behavioral economics and behavioral pharmacology to increase understanding of vulnerability to unhealthy behavior and the use of incentives and other behavioral and pharmacological interventions to support healthy behavior change interventions and policies.

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Upcoming VCBH Events

Monthly Lecture Series:

February 19:
Michael Amlung, PhD
University of Kansas

March 19:
Matt Price, PhD
University of Vermont

Visit the Center on Rural Addiction

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VCBH Career Opportunities

Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
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VCBH News

New Study Evaluating Treatment for PTSD in People Receiving Buprenorphine or Methadone Published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence

January 10, 2025 by Christopher Pung

The prevalence of current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is many-fold higher in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) than in the general population. This study demonstrates that participants receiving MOUD who receive Prolonged Exposure (PE) tend to experience improvements in their PTSD symptoms without relapsing to substance use when they receive a sufficient “dose” of PE.

Kelly Peck, PhD

The prevalence of current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is many-fold higher in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) than in the general population. Prolonged exposure (PE) therapy is highly efficacious for improving PTSD symptoms. However, few studies have evaluated PE in individuals receiving medications for OUD (MOUD). Furthermore, the efficacy of PE has been limited by poor attendance, particularly among individuals receiving treatment for OUD and other substance use disorders.

The results of a trial recently published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence indicated that the combination of PE with financial incentives for attendance to therapy sessions increased therapy attendance and improved PTSD symptoms among individuals receiving MOUD treatment.

Kelly Peck, Ph.D led a randomized trial in collaboration with Jillian Giannini, M.A., Gary Badger, M.S., Rebecca Cole, B.A., and Stacey Sigmon, Ph.D. that sought to evaluate the initial efficacy of a novel protocol for improving PE attendance and PTSD symptoms among people receiving buprenorphine or methadone treatment. The trial was conducted at UVM between March 2021 and April 2023.   

A total of 52 adults with PTSD who were receiving buprenorphine or methadone treatment were enrolled. Participants were randomly assigned to receive one of three 12-week experimental conditions: continued MOUD treatment as usual (TAU), (b) MOUD + Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), or (c) MOUD + PE with financial incentives contingent upon PE session attendance (PE+). PE+ participants attended more therapy sessions (88%) than PE participants (33%). Although participants in all three groups reported significant improvements in clinician-assessed PTSD symptoms, PE+ participants reported greater improvements in PTSD symptoms than TAU participants and achieved higher rates of diagnostic remission than TAU and PE participants. Importantly, participants who received PE did not exhibit an increase in substance use during treatment.

This study demonstrates that participants receiving MOUD who receive PE tend to experience improvements in their PTSD symptoms without relapsing to substance use when they receive a sufficient “dose” of PE. Financial incentives and other methods for increasing PE attendance are critical for alleviating the distress and reducing personal and societal costs associated with PTSD among individuals receiving MOUD.

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