e-PBI+ for College Substance Abuse

Overseen By Robert Turrisi, PhD

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Penn State University

Disqualifiers: Outside teen age range, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

2425 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to test the effectiveness of electronic parent-based interventions (e-PBIs) in reducing risky drinking and cannabis use among college students. Researchers will test two versions of the e-PBI: one with updated content on cannabis (e-PBI+) and one without. Parents will receive electronic handbooks to guide discussions with their teens about these issues. College students who frequently drink or use cannabis, and whose parents are willing to actively participate, might be a good fit. As an unphased trial, this study offers participants the opportunity to contribute to innovative research that could shape future interventions for college students.

Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?

The trial protocol does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that this electronic parent-based intervention is safe for college students?

Research has shown that parent-based programs like e-PBI and e-PBI+ are generally safe for participants. These programs help parents and teens communicate more effectively about alcohol and cannabis use, aiming to reduce risky behavior through education and conversation.

Without involving medications or medical procedures, these programs pose very little risk of physical harm. Instead, parents learn to discuss sensitive topics with their teens. Previous studies found that participants received these programs well and did not report significant negative effects.

For those considering participation, it is reassuring to know that the focus is on improving communication and providing information, rather than direct treatment. This approach means the risk of negative side effects is quite low. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about these treatments, e-PBI and e-PBI+, because they offer innovative ways to tackle college substance abuse by involving parents in the conversation. Unlike standard care options that often focus solely on the individual, these electronic handbooks empower parents to discuss drinking and behaviors with their teens, potentially fostering a more supportive environment. e-PBI+ goes a step further by including content on cannabis use, addressing a broader range of substance issues. This parent-guided approach could lead to more effective prevention by strengthening family communication and understanding.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for college substance abuse?

Research has shown that programs involving parents can effectively reduce risky drinking among college students. One study found that such a program helped lower drinking rates in first-year college students. In this trial, researchers will assign participants to different groups. The e-PBI, one of the study arms, is a digital version of this program that successfully guides parents in discussing the dangers of alcohol with their teens. Another arm, the e-PBI+, expands on this by including information about cannabis use, aiming to address both drinking and cannabis use. Initial findings suggest that adding updated cannabis content to these discussions could further reduce substance abuse. ^{1 5 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Robert Turrisi, PhD

Principal Investigator

Penn State University

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for parents and their college-aged teens who are willing to participate together. It's aimed at reducing risky behaviors like underage drinking and cannabis use. To join, both parent and teen must agree and complete a baseline assessment.

Inclusion Criteria

Parent and teen both consent and complete baseline (forming a dyad testing unit)

Exclusion Criteria

I am not a teenager.

Both parent and teen do not consent and complete baseline

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants receive the e-PBI+ or e-PBI intervention, or are part of the attention-matched control group

3 months

Baseline assessment and intervention delivery

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in alcohol and cannabis use and related outcomes

9 months

3-month, 6-month, and 9-month follow-up assessments

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• e-PBI
• e-PBI+

Trial Overview The study is testing two electronic parent-based interventions (e-PBIs). The standard e-PBI focuses on alcohol, while the enhanced version, e-PBI+, includes additional content on cannabis risks based on recent scientific findings.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: e-PBI+ Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The e-PBI+ is an electronic handbook developed by the PI to guide parents in discussing drinking, behaviors, and consequences with their teens, with additional content on cannabis use.

Group II: e-PBI Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

the e-PBI is an electronic handbook developed by the PI to guide parents in discussing drinking, behaviors, and consequences with their teens.

Group III: e-AC Active Control 1 Intervention

The e-AC is the attention matched control. They will receive general university-related materials to read, sections on parent and family resources (e.g., message from administrators, getting involved, academic calendar), advising, money matters, financial aid, campus life (arts, entertainment, housing, etc.), health and safety (health, counseling services, alcohol and drug laws). It is equivalent to the e-PBI+ and e-PBI on length of content and time to read. This group will not receive an intervention.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Penn State University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

380

Recruited

131,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A randomized trial involving 724 college freshmen and their parents showed that a parent-based intervention (PBI) significantly reduced the likelihood of students transitioning from nondrinkers to drinkers over an 8-month period.

The PBI was particularly effective for female students, as it slowed their growth in drinking, while no significant effects were observed for male students regarding heavy episodic drinking or alcohol-related problems.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A randomized trial of a parent-based intervention on drinking behavior among incoming college freshmen. Ichiyama, MA., Fairlie, AM., Wood, MD., et al.[2021]

Parents who participated in the parent-based intervention (PBI) were more likely to use harm-reduction communication regarding alcohol and were more permissive about alcohol use compared to those who did not participate.

The study highlights a potential non-response bias in recruiting parents for PBIs, suggesting that recruitment strategies need to be improved to ensure a more diverse group of participants, as the current approach may not adequately represent all parenting styles.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluating Non-response Bias in a Parent-Based College Alcohol Intervention. Morgan, RM., Trager, BM., LaBrie, JW., et al.[2023]

A study involving 443 first-year college students found that a parent-based intervention (PBI) significantly reduced drinking behaviors when combined with booster brochures (PBI-B) compared to a control group.

The PBI-B group reported less drinking to intoxication and lower peak drinking levels at a 4-month follow-up, highlighting the added effectiveness of booster materials in reducing alcohol consumption among college students.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A randomized trial evaluating a parent based intervention to reduce college drinking. Doumas, DM., Turrisi, R., Ray, AE., et al.[2021]

A study involving 144 parents of college students showed that web-based normative feedback effectively increased parents' intentions to discuss alcohol use with their children, indicating a potential for improved communication about drinking behaviors.

After receiving feedback, parents recognized that their children likely drank more than they initially thought and perceived other parents as less approving of alcohol use, suggesting that addressing misperceptions can enhance parental engagement in alcohol-related discussions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Normative feedback for parents of college students: piloting a parent based intervention to correct misperceptions of students' alcohol use and other parents' approval of drinking. Labrie, JW., Napper, LE., Hummer, JF.[2021]

A study involving 1,900 college students found that parent-based interventions (PBIs) delivered before college significantly reduced the likelihood of students engaging in higher-risk drinking patterns, especially for those with positive, anti-alcohol, or negative father parenting styles.

The effectiveness of these interventions was influenced by the type of parent and the timing of the intervention, supporting the idea that tailoring the delivery of PBIs can optimize their impact on reducing college student drinking.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Optimizing timing and dosage: does parent type moderate the effects of variations of a parent-based intervention to reduce college student drinking? Varvil-Weld, L., Scaglione, N., Cleveland, MJ., et al.[2021]

Citations

1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23369415/

A randomized trial evaluating a parent based intervention ... A randomized trial evaluating a parent based intervention to reduce college drinking. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2013 Jul;45(1):31-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2012.12 ...

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0740547212004692

A randomized trial evaluating a parent based intervention ... This study evaluated the effectiveness of a parent based intervention (PBI) in reducing drinking among first year college students (N = 443).

3. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05345951?term=AREA%5BBasicSearch%5D(AREA%5BBasicSearch%5D(AREA%5BConditionSearch%5D(%22Underage%20Drinking%22)))&rank=9

Project e-PBI+ - Parent Intervention to Reduce College ... ... abuse, with the addition of data-driven cannabis content to guide parent ... The e-PBI is currently a model prevention resource at NIAAA's College Alcohol ...

4. centerwatch.com centerwatch.com/clinical-trials/listings/NCT05345951/project-e-pbi-parent-intervention-to-reduce-college-student-drinking-and-cannabis-use

Project e-PBI+ - Parent Intervention to Reduce College ... Study Summary. College students' risky drinking and cannabis use are major public health problems. The harms associated with risky drinking have ...

5. link.springer.com link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11121-023-01520-6

“Letting Go and Staying Connected”: Substance Use ... We present results of a randomized, controlled, efficacy trial of a handbook intervention for parents of first-year college students.

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10423701/

“Letting Go and Staying Connected”: Substance Use ... It is well established that first-year college students living away from home frequently either initiate or increase their use of alcohol and drugs (Hingson et ...

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9157320/

A Parent-Based Intervention for Reducing High-risk Social ... A significant number (between 20% and 30%) of adolescent social media profiles include alcohol-related content or displays, with most displays being proalcohol ...

8. bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-7733-x

A systematic review of parent based programs to prevent or ... This paper aims to evaluate existing parent based alcohol education programs with a focus on understanding parent specific outcomes.