Home › Social Stigma › NCT07742722

Honest, Open, Proud (HOP): A Peer Delivered, Co-occurring Disorders Intervention for Justice-involved Veterans

Honest, Open, Proud (HOP) (QUE 25-014)

Who can join

Ages 18 and older · All sexes

Inclusion Criteria:

* Veterans who are service-connected and enrolled in a VJP program within six VA Medical Centers:

  * Fresno, Palo Alto, Butler, Coatesville, Pittsburgh, Wilmington, and therefore have justice involvement
* Veterans who meet DSM-5 criteria for a mental health and/or substance use disorder
* Veterans who are willing to participate in VA-HOP

Exclusion Criteria:

* Does not have a history of justice involvement and or not enrolled in a participating site VJP program
* Do not have a mental health and/or substance use disorder diagnosis

About the study

As many as two-thirds of Justice-involved Veterans (JIVs) have a substance-use disorder (SUD), and up to 51% have a mental health (MH) condition; however, fewer than one-third of JIVs receive MH or SUD treatment, and addressing stigma is a recommended strategy for improving Veteran willingness to engage in treatment. Honest, Open, Proud (HOP) is an evidence-based stigma reduction intervention for justice-involved Veterans that is delivered by peers, which can ultimately increase access to and engagement in care, lower rates of criminal recidivism, and improve MH and SUD outcomes. However, implementation of such interventions with high-acuity patients often requires strategies that are intensive and costly. This trial will evaluate the relative impacts and costs of using a high-intensity (vs. low-intensity) strategy to implement a peer-led, stigma reduction intervention for justice-involved Veterans with co-occurring SUD and MH disorders.

What is being tested

• Veterans Affairs-Honest, Open, Proud (behavioral)

Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development · Participants: 240 · Started: Jul 1, 2026

Contact the study team

• David A Smelson, PsyD · Phone: (781) 687-7778
• Michael A Andre, MPH · Phone: (781) 382-5554

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07742722

Locations in the U.S.

Conditions

• Social Stigma
• Drug Use and Addiction
• Mental Disorders

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.