Parent Intervention for Binge Drinking

Overseen By Sarah Ackerman

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: 5

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests new methods for parents to help stop binge drinking among college students. It examines the effectiveness of various parent-based interventions (PBIs), such as a handbook and a chat program, to assist parents in discussing drinking with their teens. The goal is to reduce risky behaviors, like impaired driving, by enhancing communication between parents and teens. Families with college-age children willing to participate together are well-suited for this trial. As an unphased study, this trial provides a unique opportunity for families to contribute to important research that could enhance communication and reduce risky behaviors in college students.

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

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

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research has shown that parent-based interventions (PBIs) can help reduce alcohol use and related problems in teens. When parents apply these methods, teens often drink less and experience fewer alcohol-related issues. Evidence of harmful effects or risks from PBIs is minimal, suggesting they are safe for parents to use.

For the P-Chat, research is more limited. However, similar parent-based methods have been used safely before. These programs generally help parents discuss drinking with their teens without causing harm.

The P-Chat+ combines elements of both PBI and P-Chat. While specific studies on P-Chat+ are lacking, its components have been applied without major safety concerns.

In summary, all these methods aim to improve communication about alcohol use. They have been well-received in previous studies, and no major safety issues have been reported. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about these interventions for binge drinking because they focus on engaging parents in new ways. The PBI provides parents with a detailed handbook to guide conversations with their teens about the risks and consequences of drinking, which is more structured than typical parental guidance. The P-Chat offers a brief, personalized intervention that can be quickly delivered, making it more accessible and easier for busy families. P-Chat+ combines both the handbook and the individualized chat, offering a comprehensive approach that could be more effective than traditional methods like school-based programs or alcohol education alone. These interventions aim to empower parents to have meaningful discussions with their teens, potentially leading to better outcomes in preventing binge drinking.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for reducing binge drinking?

Research shows that programs involving parents can help reduce heavy drinking among college students. One study found that students whose parents participated in such a program drank less alcohol and experienced fewer episodes of heavy drinking. In this trial, participants may receive the P-Chat approach, where studies indicate that short interventions with chat-based support effectively lowered alcohol use. This suggests that mobile communication can help maintain lower drinking levels. Another group in this trial will receive the P-Chat+, which combines both the P-Chat and PBI strategies. Research on similar programs suggests it could be even more effective in reducing binge drinking. These findings support the potential success of these interventions in lowering risky alcohol use. ^{3 6 7 8 9}

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-age teens who are willing to participate together. Both must consent and complete initial assessments. It's not suitable for those outside the teen age range or if either party does not agree to join.

Inclusion Criteria

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

Exclusion Criteria

both parent and teen do not consent and complete baseline

I am not a teenager.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants receive the P-Chat intervention, PBI, or P-Chat+ intervention

15-20 minutes

1 session (virtual or in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in alcohol use and related behaviors

9 months

Assessments at baseline, 3, 6, and 9 months

Long-term Follow-up

Assess the long-term effects of the interventions during the senior year of college and one year post-college

2 years

Assessments during senior year and 1-year post-college

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• PBI
• P-Chat
• P-Chat+

Trial Overview The study tests a parent-based intervention (PBI) aimed at reducing student drinking and its consequences, like DUIs. It compares the standard PBI with an enhanced version called P-Chat+ that includes extra communication strategies.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: PBI Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The PBI is a handbook developed by the PI to guide parents in discussing underage drinking, behaviors, and consequences with their teens

Group II: P-Chat+ Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The P-Chat+ is a combination of the P-Chat and PBI described above.

Group III: P-Chat Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The P-Chat is a brief individually delivered intervention

Group IV: Control Active Control 1 Intervention

This group will only complete assessments and will not receive any intervention.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Penn State University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

380

Recruited

131,000+

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Collaborator

Trials

2,896

Recruited

8,053,000+

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Collaborator

Trials

865

Recruited

1,091,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

The study is testing a technology-assisted intervention called Parenting Wisely+ (PW+) for parents of adolescents in residential substance use disorder treatment, aiming to improve post-discharge outcomes for these adolescents.

In a randomized pilot trial with 60 parents, the researchers will assess the feasibility and acceptability of PW+, as well as its impact on adolescent behaviors like substance use and truancy, potentially enhancing parental engagement and parenting practices that influence recovery.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Technology-assisted intervention for parents of adolescents in residential substance use treatment: protocol of an open trial and pilot randomized trial. Becker, SJ., Hernandez, L., Spirito, A., et al.[2023]

The Parent SMART intervention, which combines an online parenting program with coaching and networking, was found to be acceptable and feasible for engaging parents of adolescents in residential treatment for substance-related issues.

Preliminary results suggest that adolescents in short-term residential care whose parents participated in Parent SMART had fewer days of alcohol use and fewer school problems compared to those whose parents only received traditional treatment, indicating potential effectiveness of the intervention.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Parent SMART (Substance Misuse in Adolescents in Residential Treatment): Pilot randomized trial of a technology-assisted parenting intervention. Becker, SJ., Helseth, SA., Janssen, T., et al.[2022]

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]

The Parent SMART intervention, which includes technology-assisted resources and telehealth coaching, aims to improve parenting skills and reduce adolescent substance use in families of adolescents undergoing residential treatment, with a total of 220 parent-adolescent dyads participating in the study.

This fully-powered randomized controlled trial will assess the effectiveness of Parent SMART compared to traditional treatment, with follow-up assessments at 6, 12, and 24 weeks post-discharge to evaluate its impact on parenting practices and adolescent behaviors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Parent SMART (Substance Misuse in Adolescents in Residential Treatment): Protocol of a Randomized Effectiveness Trial of a Technology-Assisted Parenting Intervention. Becker, SJ., Helseth, SA., Kelly, LM., et al.[2022]

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]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11002763/

A Brief Intervention With Instant Messaging or Regular Text ... Findings of this study indicate that an ABI followed by 3 months of mobile chat-based instant messaging support was effective in reducing alcohol use among ...

2. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38587827/

A Brief Intervention With Instant Messaging or Regular Text ... Results of this randomized clinical trial indicate that mobile chat-based instant messaging support for alcohol reduction in addition to an ABI was effective.

3. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-underage-drinking-5-2021-00090

Parent Intervention for Binge Drinking · Info for Participants What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment PBI, P-Chat, P-Chat+ for binge drinking? Research on similar technology-assisted parenting interventions ...

4. journals.sagepub.com journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1089/jwh.2021.0285

Remotely Educating Young Women About Alcohol At baseline, most (71%) participants reported alcohol consumption in the prior month and 44% reported binge drinking (four or more drinks on one occasion), ...

5. library.samhsa.gov library.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/pep21-03-11-002.pdf

2020 Report to Congress on the Prevention and Reduction ... Chapter 4 includes data on the underage drinking prevention activities of ICCPUD member agencies in calendar year 2019. Chapter 5, the Report to Congress on ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7254293/

Social Media Interventions for Risky Drinking Among ... This paper describes the protocol of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) testing the efficacy of a social media intervention among adolescents and emerging ...

7. researchprotocols.org researchprotocols.org/2022/5/e38543/

A Parent-Based Intervention for Reducing High-risk Social ... Extensive research in this area has resulted in parent-based intervention (PBI) efforts to prevent or reduce adolescent alcohol use. However, ...

8. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6367039/

Prevention of Alcohol Use in Older Teens This study examines effects of a randomized controlled trial for an online, family-based prevention program for older teens, Smart Choices 4 Teens, on alcohol ...

9. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X21005462

Effects of a Patient-Centered Intervention to Reduce ... By 6-month follow-up, the percentage of youth reporting any alcohol use is risky/dangerous increased among intervention arm participants from 41.5% to 45.4% at ...