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

NCT ID: NCT06191861

Last Updated: 2026-02-05

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 468 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-03-29
• Study Completion Date: 2027-11-30

Brief Summary

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 highly school, 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-high school transition.

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the future possible self task (FPST) in individuals who are about to graduate from high school.

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 high school in a sample of 528 soon-to-graduate or recently graduated high school 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 report at least some alcohol consumption and 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

Conditions

Alcohol Use, Unspecified

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: FACTORIAL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Most hoped for future self, 3 dose

Participants complete a writing task in which they think and write about their most hoped for future self, weekly for 3 weeks (i.e., at each session).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Most hoped for future self

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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.

Most hoped future self, 1 dose

Participants complete a writing task in which they think and write about their most hoped for future self one time (on the third session).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Most hoped for future self

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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.

Most feared future self, 3 dose

Participants complete a writing task in which they think and write about their most feared future self, weekly for 3 weeks (i.e., at each session).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Most feared future self

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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.

Most feared future self, 1 dose

Participants complete a writing task in which they think and write about their most feared future self one time (on the third session).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Most feared future self

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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.

Balanced self (hoped and feared self), 3 dose

Participants complete a writing task in which they think and write about their most hoped for and feared future self, weekly for 3 weeks (i.e., at each session).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Balanced future self

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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.

Balanced self (hoped and feared self), 1 dose

Participants complete a writing task in which they think and write about their most hoped for and feared future self one time (on the third session).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Balanced future self

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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.

Control, 3 dose

Participants in this condition complete a task in which they think and write about a trip to the zoo weekly for 3 weeks (i.e., at each session).

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Control (trip to zoo)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants in this condition think and write about a future trip to the zoo

Control, 1 dose

Participants in this condition complete a task in which they think and write about a trip to the zoo one time (on the third session).

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Control (trip to zoo)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants in this condition think and write about a future trip to the zoo

Interventions

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.

Intervention Type: 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.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Control (trip to zoo)

Participants in this condition think and write about a future trip to the zoo

Intervention Type: 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.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Senior in high school and expecting to graduate at the end of the academic year or individuals who recently (i.e., within the past three months) graduated high school or earned a GED
• Between the ages of 17-19
• Currently reside in WA State (UW Site) or State of Texas (UH Site)
• Fluent in English
• Willing to attend three weekly virtual laboratory sessions (hosted on Zoom)
• Willing to provide contact information, including phone number (for text messages and reminders), email (reminders), and mailing address (payment)
• Has consumed alcohol at least 1 time in last year
• Reports at least some interest in NOT increasing one's drinking or at least some interest in reducing drinking

Exclusion Criteria

• N/A

• Minimum Eligible Age: 17 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 19 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Washington

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Kristen Lindgren

Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Kristen Lindgren, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Washington

Locations

University of Houston

Houston, Texas, United States

Countries

United States

References

Lindgren KP, Shah V, de Luna F, Hall NA, Weinstein AP, Wu D, Fairlie AM, Lee CM, Calhoun BH, Neighbors C. Protocol of a randomized controlled trial evaluating the impact of an adapted future possible selves task on drinking identity and hazardous drinking in graduating high school students. BMC Public Health. 2025 Dec 3;26(1):94. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-25827-x.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 41340101 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

R01AA030750

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

STUDY00017212

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id