Testing Brief Personalized Feedback Integrating EMA Alcohol Cue Information (Project ACE)

Development and Preliminary Examination of Two Brief Personalized Feedback Interventions Focused on Lab-based and EMA Alcohol Cues to Reduce Hazardous Young Adult Alcohol Use

This study aims to develop a brief intervention that incorporates ecological momentary assessments (EMAs; i.e., four brief surveys per day for 17 days) to create personalized feedback targeting high-risk alcohol use among young adult drinkers. The intervention mainly focuses on providing feedback on individuals' drinking desire and how it varies as a function of a number of real-world factors. Other psycho-educational alcohol-related content is also provided in the intervention including strategies for decreasing exposure to cues that increase drinking desires and how to cope with increased desire to drink. This brief intervention will be used in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing young adults who receive the intervention with those who only complete identical assessments.

The purpose of this study is to develop and test a brief intervention that provides personalized feedback to young adults using participants' own event-level, real-world experiences. The aim of the intervention is to increase young adults' awareness of their desire to drink as it varies as a function of a number of real-world factors including alcohol cues, social context, physical context, anticipation of later drinking, mood, and time of day. The intervention also aims to equip young adults with strategies for reducing exposure to factors that increase their desire to drink, how to cope with an increased desire to drink, and how to reduce potential harms from drinking. This brief personalized feedback intervention will be used in a randomized controlled trial comparing young adult drinkers who receive the intervention with those who complete the EMAs but do not receive any personalized feedback. Assessments include an eligibility survey, baseline assessment, 17 days of EMAs and follow-up assessments occurring 2-weeks and 3-months post-intervention. The intervention will be examined for its feasibility, acceptability, and its effects in reducing alcohol-related outcomes at the follow-up assessments.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions (Personalized feedback and assessment-only control group).

Participants randomized to the Cue Reactivity PFI condition will receive personalized feedback at the end of completing 17 days of ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) four times a day. The personalized feedback will be delivered online and contains information summarizing participants' desire to drink as it varied as a function of several real-world factors across the 17-day EMA period.

Participants randomized to the control group will not receive any intervention. They will be an assessment-only control group.

This online brief intervention provides personalized feedback using EMA data focused on alcohol cue reactivity to reduce alcohol misuse among young adults.

Self-reported number of occasions of heavy episodic drinking (4+ drinks for females/5+ drinks for males)

Self-reported number of occasions of heavy episodic drinking (4+ drinks for females/5+ drinks for males)

Self-reported subjective alcohol craving, sum of five items with possible range from 0-30, higher scores reflect more craving

Self-reported subjective alcohol craving, sum of five items with possible range from 0-30, higher scores reflect more craving

Inclusion Criteria: 1) Between ages 18-24, 2) Lives in Washington state, 3) Reports drinking at least two days per week in the last six months, 4) Reports at least one heavy drinking episode (4+/5+ drinks for women/men) in the past month, 5) Open to changing drinking behavior, 6) Schedule allows for participation in study with daily surveys, 7) Able to attend Zoom training session, 8) Must have cellphone for daily surveys. Exclusion Criteria: 1) Actively seeking treatment for alcohol use, 2) Currently participating in another study in our research center regarding young adult drinking behavior.

We plan to share limited, de-identified datasets for the purposes of data analysis and dissemination.

Individual requests to access data with intended purpose should be made to Drs. Fairlie and Ramirez and will be reviewed by the investigative team.