N/A
N=33
Anxiety Lowering and Deprescribing Through Emotion Regulation
Benzodiazepine Dependence · Anxiety Disorders · Sleep Disturbance
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06359314 ↗Enrolled (actual)
33
Serious AEs
0.0%
Results posted
Dec 2025
Primary outcome: Primary: Feasibility of Intervention — 67; 48 Percentage of participants
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- ALDER (Behavioral)
- Age
- Older Adult · 65+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- Northwestern University
- Primary completion
- Sep 2024
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Feasibility of Intervention |
67; 48 | — |
| PRIMARY Acceptability of Intervention |
3.72 | — |
| PRIMARY Adoption of Intervention |
4 | — |
| SECONDARY Patient Benzodiazepine Receptor Agonist (BZRA) Use |
6; 5 | — |
| SECONDARY Patient-reported Sleep Disturbance |
54.39; 52.79 | — |
| SECONDARY Patient-reported Anxiety |
58.47; 57.49 | — |
| SECONDARY Patient-reported Stress |
5.55; 4.94 | — |
| SECONDARY Patient-reported Depression |
53.58; 52.52 | — |
| SECONDARY Patient-reported Positive Affect |
41.42; 42.31 | — |
| SECONDARY Patient-reported Meaning and Purpose |
45.51; 48.23 | — |
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to test ALDER (Anxiety Lowering and Deprescribing through Emotion Regulation), an online self-guided positive emotion intervention, in patients over the age of 65 who are candidates for benzodiazepine receptor agonist (BZRA, commonly called benzos, or z-drugs) deprescribing. The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Is ALDER relevant to and satisfactory for older adult BZRA users?
* Does ALDER help to increase positive emotions and decrease anxiety, trouble sleeping, and use of BZRA medications?
Participants will complete the 5-week online self-guided ALDER intervention as well as two survey assessments, one before the intervention and one after.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- Age 65 and over.
- ≥1 NM Internal Medicine clinic visit within the past year.
- BZRA prescribed by NM primary care within the past year.
- Takes BZRA at least twice a week.
- Daily access to internet-connected device.
- Ability to read and speak English.
Exclusion Criteria
- Dementia, seizure, or REM sleep disorder diagnosis.
- In hospice care.
- No daily internet access.
- Cannot speak and read English.
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06359314). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.