Drinking in Young Adult Duos (DYAD) Study

Understanding Alcohol Use in Young Adult Couples

This study examines the role of alcohol use in understanding the dynamics of romantic relationships. Couples will participate in a research session where they consume either an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage and complete study tasks. After the session, participants will provide information about their drinking habits, alcohol- and non-alcohol-related experiences, and relationship factors through brief surveys on their smart phones and again at 6-month and 12-month follow-up sessions. The findings from this study aim to improve understanding of alcohol use in close relationships and may inform future strategies for promoting healthier relationships and behaviors.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Alcohol Drinking; Alcohol Consumption; Alcohol Intoxication
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Alcohol beverage; Other: Non-alcohol beverage

Detailed Description

This study investigates alcohol consumption in romantic relationships. Couples will be recruited to participate in a laboratory-based alcohol administration session, during which they will consume either a moderate dose of alcohol or a non-alcoholic beverage. Following beverage consumption, couples will complete questionnaires and tasks.

The study employs a multi-method approach to assess alcohol in couples, including self-reports and behavioral tasks, both inside and outside of the lab (e.g., using ecological momentary assessment). Additionally, participants' drinking patterns and relationship factors will be tracked over time, with follow-up assessments conducted at 6-months and 12 months post-laboratory session.

The findings from this research will provide insights into the role that alcohol consumption plays in close relationships and may inform interventions to support healthier drinking behaviors and relationship outcomes.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 504
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Kasey G. Creswell, PhD; Phone Number: 412-779-4931; Email: kasey@andrew.cmu.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
      • Recruiting
      • Carnegie Mellon University
      • Principal Investigator: Kasey G. Creswell, PhD
      • Contact: Kasey Creswell, PhD; Phone Number: 1-412-779-4931; Email: kasey@andrew.cmu.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Both members of the couple must:

• be between the ages of 21 and 30
• regularly consume alcohol
• own a smartphone

Exclusion Criteria:

Neither member of the couple:

• has a history of adverse reaction to the amount of beverage used in the study
• has a history of major problems related to alcohol
• is taking medications that could adversely interact with alcohol
• is pregnant

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Healthy couples who drink alcohol; Healthy young adult couples who regularly drink alcohol	Drug: Alcohol beverage; moderate dose of alcohol; Other: Non-alcohol beverage; No alcohol given

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Social behaviors-observational	Behavioral measures of social processes using validated and reliable behavioral coding schemes to code facial expressions, speech behaviors, and speech content: the Facial Action Coding System (Ekman, Friesen, & Hagar, 2002) and the Rapid Marital Interaction Coding System (Heyman, 2004). This coding uses binary (yes/no) codes for presence/absence of behaviors at each moment in time. Higher scores represent more instances of behaviors.	During couple interactions in the lab for a total duration of 55 minutes.
Emotions	The 8-item Mood Measure (Fairbairn et al., 2021) will assess self-reported positive and negative emotions on scales from 0 (none) to 10 (extremely). Higher scores indicate a greater intensity of emotions.	Immediately after the couple interactions in the lab referenced above.
Social behaviors-self-report	Participants will provide ratings of their own and their partners' social behaviors on ten-point Likert scales. Higher scores indicate a greater endorsement of each behavior.	Immediately after the couple interactions in the lab referenced above.
Real-world experiences	Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) methods will be used to send a series of brief surveys to participants' smartphones to assess alcohol consumption (in standard alcoholic drinks).	The EMA protocol will be completed for 14 days post-lab session.
Longer term alcohol problems	Follow-up sessions will assess alcohol problems using DSM-5 alcohol use disorder criteria. Higher scores reflect more alcohol problems.	Assessed longitudinally up to 12-months post-lab session.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Relationship functioning	Relationship functioning will be assessed on 10 point Likert scales (Jakubiak & Feeney, 2009), with higher scores representing higher relationship functioning.	Assessed longitudinally up to 12-months post-lab session.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Carnegie Mellon University
• Collaborators: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 24, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 6, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): February 12, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 28, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 22, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: couples; alcohol administration
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Drinking Behavior; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Alcohol Drinking; Alcoholic Intoxication
• Other Study ID Numbers: AA031009; R01AA031009 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Data will be shared in the NIAAA Data Archive

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No