Norms Re-education to Promote Engagement in Parent-based Interventions

Conditions

• Underage Drinking

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

17 Years - 20 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Interventions

• PNF+ PBI — BEHAVIORAL
  Parents of participating students assigned to the PNF+ PBI condition will receive an email invitation to sign up for a Parent-Based Intervention app. This app features six personalized normative feedback (PNF) quizzes and provides tailored videos and readings based on responses to these quizzes. Parents will create an account and complete the first PNF quiz, after which they will immediately receive their initial set of tailored content. They can then explore additional app content at their convenience, including access to five more quizzes that will yield further customized reading lists and access to a general resource library. For approximately six weeks, parents will receive weekly app notifications and email reminders alerting them to additional unengaged content (e.g., PNF quizzes, readings). Parents in this condition will maintain access to the app throughout their student's first year of college.
• SNMC+ PBI — BEHAVIORAL
  Parents of participating students randomized to this condition will receive a series of 6 emails (delivered weekly) in August and September. Each email will include risk-reducing normative facts and a relevant tip for communicating with students about alcohol-related risks.
• PH+ PBI — BEHAVIORAL
  Parents of participating students randomized to this condition will receive an email introducing the PBI including a link to access the Handbook online. Parents can explore the Handbook at their own pace.

Study Details

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted to evaluate both the short-term and long-term efficacy of innovative, incentive-free parent-based interventions (PBIs) designed to reduce underage drinking on college campuses. Although the current NIAAA-recommended Parent Handbook has shown modest effects, our preliminary work suggests that combining personalized normative feedback (PNF) delivered through a social media-inspired app with psychoeducational content can effectively decrease alcohol-related risk. In this large, multi-site trial with 2,040 first-year students, we will examine the short- and long-term effects of the experimental app-based PNF program (PNF+ PBI) compared to an email-based social norms marketing campaign (SNMC+ PBI), the Parent Handbook (PH+ PBI), and an assessment-only control on alcohol use and consequences (primary outcomes). Parent alcohol approval and communication will also be assessed as potential mediators of intervention effects (secondary outcomes). The researchers hypothesize that students whose parents receive PNF+ and SNMC+ PBIs will report lower levels of alcohol use and fewer alcohol-related consequences compared to those whose parents receive PH+ PBI or no intervention. It is also expected that parental approval will be lower and alcohol-related communication will be higher in these two experimental conditions, relative to PH+ PBI and no intervention.

Key Dates

Start date

Jul 31, 2026

Status verified

Mar 2025

Primary completion

Sep 30, 2028

Completion

Oct 31, 2028

Study Design

Enrollment

2,040 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Arms

• Experimental: PNF+ PBI
  This intervention involves an interactive app that delivers six personalized normative feedback quizzes. Based on quiz responses, the app provides tailored videos and readings that address parents' misperceptions about student drinking and offer strategies to reduce alcohol-related risks. The app also includes a resource library and generates customized reading lists through the quizzes.
• Experimental: SNMC+ PBI
  This intervention consists of a series of six structured communications that present risk-reducing normative facts about alcohol use. Each communication includes a specific tip designed to guide parents in effectively discussing alcohol-related risks and establishing constructive conversations with their student.
• Active Comparator: PH+ PBI
  This intervention provides a digital version of the Parent Handbook, which contains comprehensive psychoeducational content on alcohol-related risks, effective communication strategies, and practical guidelines for reducing underage drinking. The Handbook is designed to be reviewed at the parent's own pace, offering a thorough resource for managing alcohol-related issues.
• No Intervention: No Intervention
  In the control condition, no parent-based intervention content is provided.

Primary Outcome Measure

Change in Baseline Daily Drinking from Baseline to 1 Month Post Intervention [ Time Frame: baseline, 3 months ]

Central Contacts

• Joseph LaBrie, Ph.D.
  3103385238
  [email protected]
• Bradley Trager, Ph.D.
  310-338-3701
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

Find similar trials in Los Angeles, CA

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