Narrative Writing to Promote Healthy Decisions About Alcohol During the Transition Out of College

Official title

Project SELF 2.0 Study 2 - Narrative Writing to Promote Healthy Decisions About Alcohol During the Transition Out of College

Overview

The purpose of the proposed research is to evaluate (1) whether a future possible self task (FPST) can lead to changes drinking identity (DI; how much one associates one's self with drinking) and (2) whether the FPST and changes in drinking identity also change indicators of alcohol misuse . This study focuses on individuals who are graduating from college, which is a time of transition and identity change. If such changes can be demonstrated, DI may be a mechanism for alcohol misuse and the FPST may be an additional, novel intervention strategy to reduce alcohol misuse during the post-college transition. The goal of this clinical trial is to test the future possible self task (FPST) in individuals who are about to graduate from college. The main questions it aims to answer are: Can the FPST change drinking identity (a risk factor for alcohol misuse)? Can the FPST reduce risks for alcohol misuse? Participants will complete the FPST, a task that involves writing for 20 minutes, and will answer a series of questionnaires and computer-based word categorization tasks. Participants will be followed for a year after completing the FPST. Researchers will compare different versions of the FPST and different doses (one writing sessions vs. 3 writing sessions) to see which are more effective for changing drinking identity and reducing risks for alcohol misuse.

Detailed description

This study will evaluate changes in drinking identity and changes in drinking during the transition out of college in a sample of 528 soon-to-graduate or recently graduated college seniors via the future possible self task (FPST). We will test whether an adapted version of the FPST can induce change in drinking identity and reduce risk of alcohol misuse. The study will have a 2 (write about future desired self in relation to drinking vs. no), x 2 (write about future feared self in relation to drinking vs. no) x 2 (write 1x only vs.1x per week for 3 weeks) design. Participants will be randomly assigned to a condition. The study will occur entirely online, with virtual baseline and intervention sessions hosted by a research assistant and with online surveys for the 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Participants, who receive an AUDIT score of 8 or higher, and report some interest interest in changing or not increasing their drinking, will be recruited, in equal numbers, from two sites -- one at the University of Washington and one at the University of Houston. Participants will be recruited in two waves (264 each wave, with 132 from each site during each wave).

The study will test for changes in drinking identity (primary), in indicators of alcohol misuse (primary \& secondary), and in associated risk factors (secondary; changes in self-efficacy, identification with future self, and craving at baseline, 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups

Interventions

• Behavioral Most hoped for future self
  Participants in this condition complete a version of the future possible self task in which they think and write about their most hoped for future self for 20 minutes.
• Behavioral Most feared future self
  Participants in this condition complete a version of the future possible self task in which they think and write about their most feared future self for 20 minutes.
• Behavioral Balanced future self
  Participants in this condition complete a version of the future possible self task in which they think and write about their most hoped for and feared future self for 20 minutes.
• Behavioral Control (trip to zoo)
  Participants in this condition think and write about a future trip to the zoo for 20 minutes

Primary outcome measures

• Explicit drinking identity [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention (about 2 weeks after baseline), 1-month follow up, 3-month follow up, 6 month-follow up, & 12-month follow up]
• Implicit drinking identity [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention (about 2 weeks after baseline), 1-month follow up, 3-month follow up, 6 month-follow up, & 12-month follow up]
• Drinks per week [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline, 1-month follow up, 3-month follow up, 6 month-follow up, & 12-month follow up]
• Peak drinks per month [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline, 1-month follow up, 3-month follow up, 6 month-follow up, & 12-month follow up]
• Typical drinks per occasion [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline, 1-month follow up, 3-month follow up, 6 month-follow up, & 12-month follow up]
• Alcohol-related problems [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline, 1-month follow up, 3-month follow up, 6 month-follow up, & 12-month follow up]

Secondary outcome measures (10)

• Risk of Alcohol Use Disorder [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline and at 12-month follow-up]
• Alcohol Craving - Momentary [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline and 2 weeks after baseline]
• Alcohol Craving - Current [Time frame: Will be assessed 2 weeks after baseline]
• Alcohol Craving - Retrospective [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline, 1-month follow up, 3-month follow up, 6 month-follow up, & 12-month follow up]
• Alcohol Expectancies [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline, 1-month follow up, 3-month follow up, 6 month-follow up, & 12-month follow up]
• Drinking Motives [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline, 1-month follow up, 3-month follow up, 6 month-follow up, & 12-month follow up]
• Social Norms [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline, 1-month follow up, 3-month follow up, 6 month-follow up, & 12-month follow up]
• Identification with Future Self [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention (about 2 weeks after baseline), 1-month follow up, 3-month follow up, 6 month-follow up, & 12-month follow up]
• Readiness to Change [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention (about 2 weeks after baseline), 1-month follow up, 3-month follow up, 6 month-follow up, & 12-month follow up]
• Drinking Refusal Self-efficacy [Time frame: Will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention (about 2 weeks after baseline), 1-month follow up, 3-month follow up, 6 month-follow up, & 12-month follow up]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Senior in college and expecting to graduate at the University of Washington or University of Houston
• Between the ages of 18-25
• Full time student
• Fluent in English
• Is willing to attend 3 weekly virtual laboratory sessions hosted on HIPAA-compliant Zoom
• Is willing to provide contact information including phone number (for text messages and reminders), email (reminders), and mailing address (payment)
• Scores 8 or more on the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT; cut-off for indicator of hazardous drinking) and reports drinking alcohol in the last week
• Reports at least some interest in reducing drinking

Exclusion criteria

\- There are no exclusion criteria for this study.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Factorial

Masking

Double blind

Primary purpose

Treatment

Study locations

United States · 1 center

• University of Houston — Houston

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07418424 · STUDY00024354 · R01AA030750-01

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗