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Using Ecological Momentary Data to Inform a Web Intervention for Romantic Partners Concerned About Their Loved Ones' Drinking

NCT ID: NCT06670794

Last Updated: 2025-06-30

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

160 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2026-01-01

Study Completion Date

2026-12-31

Brief Summary

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Aim 1. Couples (N=50 dyads) with a Concerned Partner (CP) and a Drinking Partner (DP) will independently complete baseline and follow-up surveys and a 21-day EMA with three daily reports on their communication and DP's drinking. Aim 2. Iteratively develop a four-session web based intervention and evaluate the WBI's feasibility and acceptability with 15 CPs. Aim 3. Perform a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing WBI to psychoeducation control in 110 couples.

Detailed Description

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Alcohol misuse negatively affects relationships and is significantly correlated with higher rates of relationship conflict, distress, and dissolution as well as other serious negative interpersonal consequences (e.g., domestic violence, sexual assaults). Encouragement from concerned partners (CPs) is a common motivator for those who misuse alcohol to pursue care and often the most helpful mechanism in supporting change. The goals of this proposal are to: Identify how specific CP behaviors influence their partner's alcohol craving, motives, drinking, and problems on a daily basis using dyadic ecological momentary assessment techniques (Aim 1); use the knowledge from EMA analysis to iteratively develop a CP-focused web-based intervention (WBI) that provides psychoeducation about communication patterns that influence DP drinking and by integrating personalized feedback about CPs' own communication behaviors that may be working against their goals (Aim 2); and pilot the WBI's efficacy on CP outcomes (depression, anxiety, social support), their partner's drinking behavior (alcohol consumption, motives, related consequences), and both partners' relationship distress and conflict (Aim 3). The investigators expect the WBI will yield significant improvements in all outcomes. This project is significant because intervening with CPs has strong potential to change relationship dynamics that may reduce problems and prevent future problems associated with alcohol misuse. It also develops a new prevention model that does not rely on the drinking partner attending a clinical facility to access care. The proposed study is innovative because it uses dyadic and ecological momentary assessment designs to test dynamic questions about interdependence in relationship interactions and alcohol use between partners and employs the generated knowledge to inform intervention adaptation. Teaching CPs to effectively communicate their concerns may be a necessary catalyst for decreasing their partner's alcohol use and preventing alcohol use disorders. The potential reach of this intervention is large such that it can be easily implemented over the web to those who may need help but would not otherwise seek care.

Conditions

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Experimental Control Condition

Keywords

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alcohol alcohol use disorder community reinforcement and family training concerned partners concerned significant others communication

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants

Study Groups

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Psychoeducation control

Psychoeducation control CPs will be routed to visit self-help resources on NIAAA's website ("Alcohol's Effects on Health") and asked to spend the same amount of time (20-30 minutes) reviewing site content.

Group Type OTHER

Psychoeducation control

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

This is a psychoeducation control condition.

Experimental web-based intervention

CPs in the experimental web-based intervention condition will complete web-based sessions including personalized feedback and information about how communication and self-care affect their own well-being and their partner's alcohol use behaviors.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Web-based intervention for concerned partners

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The web-based intervention will comprise sessions focusing on community reinforcement and family therapy principles including: (1) self-care, (2) positive communication including ways to increase responsiveness to their partner (PPR; i.e., actively listening, showing understanding, expressing interest in what their partner is thinking and feeling, and trying to see where their partner is coming from), (3) understanding their partner's drinking reinforcers, and (4) supporting their partner if they want help and engaging in positive, healthy activities with their partner.

Interventions

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Web-based intervention for concerned partners

The web-based intervention will comprise sessions focusing on community reinforcement and family therapy principles including: (1) self-care, (2) positive communication including ways to increase responsiveness to their partner (PPR; i.e., actively listening, showing understanding, expressing interest in what their partner is thinking and feeling, and trying to see where their partner is coming from), (3) understanding their partner's drinking reinforcers, and (4) supporting their partner if they want help and engaging in positive, healthy activities with their partner.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Psychoeducation control

This is a psychoeducation control condition.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* be at least 18 years old
* be in a romantic relationship with their partner
* be living with their partner,
* have a computer, tablet, or mobile phone with Internet access
* have no plans to separate from their partner in the next 60 days
* indicate no concerns they would be physically hurt by their partner on the Intimate Partner Screen


* be at least 18 years old
* misuses alcohol as defined by their scores (4+ for women/non-gender confirming, 5+ for men) on the consumption portion of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-C) (Dawson et al., 2005)
* has a computer, tablet, or mobile phone with Internet access
* indicates no concerns they would be physically hurt by their partner

Exclusion Criteria

* drinking scores at or above the threshold for DP participation


* current alcohol treatment
* currently concerned about their partner's drinking
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Stanford University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Portland State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Florida

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Lindsey Rodriguez, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Florida

Central Contacts

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Lindsey Rodriguez, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 650-613-3484

Email: [email protected]

Karen Osilla, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

Email: [email protected]

Other Identifiers

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1R34AA030182-01A1

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

IRB202401222

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id