Alcohol and Addiction Research Domain Criteria and Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery

Project Principal Investigator/s:
Katie Witkiewitz, Ph.D.

Funding Agency:
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Amount Awarded:
$1,398,555

Period of Performance:
04/2019 - 03/2023

Goals and Aims of Study

The alcohol and addiction research domain criteria (AARDoC) has been proposed to provide a framework for understanding the nature of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in terms of psychological and biological constructs that can be traced to a specific behavioral function with an underlying biological basis (e.g., neural dysfunction). The AARDoC proposes that AUD develops, progresses, and is maintained because of heightened incentive salience for alcohol, greater negative emotionality, and/or impairments in executive functioning and impulsivity. This study will build an empirical knowledge base regarding clinical assessments that could be used to identify the AARDoC constructs and will examine whether the AARDoC constructs are associated with a novel typology of alcohol recovery, defined by consumption and functioning, among individuals who receive alcohol treatment.  To achieve the study aims, integrative data analysis of AARDoC constructs among more than 3600 individuals (n = 3,672) who participated in three publicly funded alcohol treatment studies will be examined. This research will examine a broad definition of recovery and prediction of AUD recovery up to 10 years following an AUD treatment episode. 

How this Research Will Benefit Society

This study seeks to gain a better understanding of variability among individuals with alcohol use disorder who are seeking treatment and predictors of recovery from alcohol use disorder.  The results from this study will be directly applicable to clinical practice and future research on AUD treatment and recovery.