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Jail-based counseling aims to cut substance-exposed pregnancies

NCT ID NCT05854836

Prevention Sponsor: St. Louis University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 20, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This pilot trial tests a counseling program called CHOICES-PLEAS for women in a jail-based substance use treatment program. The goal is to reduce the risk of substance-exposed pregnancies by helping women change their substance use and risky sexual behaviors. Participants receive motivational interviewing sessions and a family planning visit while incarcerated, plus a booster session after release. The study compares this program to standard care to see if it lowers pregnancy risk and increases motivation to change.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
a behavioral counseling program called CHOICES-PLEAS that uses motivational interviewing and family planning sessions
What this could lead to
If effective, this program could help reduce substance-exposed pregnancies and improve health outcomes for women leaving jail.
What could go wrong
This is a small pilot study, so results may not apply broadly. The program's success depends on participants' motivation and follow-up after release.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 90 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Dec 2023

Expected to finish

Mar 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 49 years

Sex

Female participants only

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * English-speaking * Capable of becoming pregnant (did not undergo a permanent sterilization procedure and not using a highly effective long-acting reversible birth control method, i.e. intrauterine device or implant.) * During the three year prior to arrest or entering the treatment program engaged in vaginal sex with a male partner. * During the three months prior to arrest or entering the treatment program used at least one substance (heroin, fentanyl, opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, or marijuana or alcohol with another substance). * (For women recruited from the MAT Program): Expected length of incarceration at the St. Louis County Jail 2-6 months; expected release into the community. Exclusion Criteria: * Participated in a focus group that was part of the formative work for this study to create the intervention adaptation * Non-English-speaking * Not capable of pregnancy (underwent a permanent sterilization procedure or using a long-acting reversible contraceptive method) * No vaginal sex with a male partner in the 3 years prior to incarceration or entering the treatment program. * No use of an illicit substance, such as only alcohol or marijuana use not in combination with another substance

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

substance-related disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Substance use disorders

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Buzz Westfall Justice Center

    RECRUITING

    St Louis, Missouri, 63105, United States

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