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

University of Florida

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Control Condition; Experimental

Treatments: Behavioral: Psychoeducation control; Behavioral: Web-based intervention for concerned partners

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT06670794

IRB202401222

1R34AA030182-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Full description

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.

Enrollment: 160 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

CP 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

CP Exclusion Criteria:

• drinking scores at or above the threshold for DP participation

DP Inclusion Criteria:

• 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

DP Exclusion Criteria:

• current alcohol treatment
• currently concerned about their partner's drinking

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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160 participants in 2 patient groups

Psychoeducation control

Other group

Description:

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.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Psychoeducation control

Experimental web-based intervention

Experimental group

Description:

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.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Web-based intervention for concerned partners