# Integrated telehealth intervention to reduce chronic pain and unhealthy drinking among people living with HIV

> **NIH NIH P01** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2024 · $408,164

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Unhealthy drinking and chronic pain are common co-occurring conditions among people living with HIV
(PLWH) each of which negatively influences physical and mental functioning, HIV-related outcomes, and one
another. Health care providers face a number of challenges to addressing these frequently co-occurring
conditions for PLWH including restricted time and resources, limitations of pharmacological treatments to
adequately treat both conditions (particularly among those with other co-occurring medical conditions or
substance use histories), and poor patient adherence to recommended non-pharmacological treatments.
Although there are empirically-supported behavioral approaches to address the full spectrum of each of these
conditions, they often require multiple session, in-person interventions. Such requirements are burdensome to
PLWH, who may face stigma and considerable economic challenges regarding transportation, child-care, and
missed work. These challenges are compounded when considering treatments for multiple conditions. Given
the rates of chronic pain and heavy drinking among PLWH, their combined impact on daily functioning and
HIV-outcomes, and available treatment limitations, there would be considerable benefit to an integrative
behavioral approach to address these comorbid conditions in a manner that may be easily utilized by patients.
In our prior work, we have developed an integrated behavioral video telehealth intervention designed to reduce
unhealthy alcohol use and chronic pain among PLWH. This intervention, Motivational and Cognitive
Behavioral Treatment for the Management of Alcohol Use and Pain (MCBMAP) is a 7-session integrated
intervention that is delivered through telehealth and supplemented with materials available on a website. The
intervention, which was tailored for PLWH based on qualitative interviews, has been shown to have high
patient acceptability and be readily delivered through smartphones. The current study seeks to test the efficacy
of this intervention for reducing unhealthy drinking and chronic pain in a fully-scaled, randomized controlled
trial among PLWH that compares MCBMAP to a Brief Advice and Information condition at 6-month outcomes.
In addition, this project will examine moderators and mediators of intervention through self-report
questionnaires and through the use of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) conducted before and after
treatment. These EMA methods will allow us to examine how the processes through which the intervention
may reduce unhealthy drinking and pain as well as provide insight into the association between pain, unhealthy
drinking, and functional outcomes in this population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10912475
- **Project number:** 5P01AA029546-04
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** TIBOR P. PALFAI
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $408,164
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-22 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10912475

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10912475, Integrated telehealth intervention to reduce chronic pain and unhealthy drinking among people living with HIV (5P01AA029546-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10912475. Licensed CC0.

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