PAIRS: Friend-Based AISA Intervention (PAIRS)

Friend-based Intervention to Reduce Alcohol-Involved Sexual Assault Risk

This Phase 2 trial will to examine the efficacy of a brief dyad-based motivational interview (PAIRS MI) delivered to friend dyads with an active treatment-as-usual condition, and a 1-year follow-up.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Sexual Violence; College Drinking; Behavioral Changes
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Friend-Based Motivational Interview; Behavioral: Treatment as usual (TAU)

Detailed Description

In this project the investigators will conduct a Phase 2 trial to test the efficacy of a friend-based motivational interview (FMI) compared to a treatment-as-usual (TAU) control, following participants over 1-year post-intervention (Aim 1.). With this trial the investigators also will address some key questions about FMI effects on target attitudes and behaviors (Aim 2.a.) that may be mechanisms of intervention outcome (Aim 2.b.). This includes Instrumental mechanisms (readiness, barriers, and assault protective behavior skills), and the dyadic relationship (closeness, collaboration between the friends in the dyad).

Aim 1. In a Phase 2 trial, the investigators will examine the efficacy of a friend-based motivational intervention (FMI) to reduce AISA risk relative to an active control condition over 1-year post-intervention.

The investigators will compare the FMI to a standard sexual assault prevention intervention widely used on U.S. college campuses. The investigators will use a three-level HLM, with repeated measures over one year (3, 6, 9, 12-month follow-up) nested within person (Level 2), and person nested within dyad (Level 3) to examine AISA outcomes. The investigators expect those in the FMI to report fewer incidences of AISA at follow-up assessments. Both AISA and assaults not involving alcohol will be examined.

Aim 2. Examine mechanisms (instrumental, relationship) of intervention effects. In this dyad-based FMI, an interdependent process may unfold that influences outcomes whereby the FMI influences AISA risk through a person's own change, as well as through their friend's change. It is important to distinguish these two processes as each may be an important part of intervention effects. Accordingly, with longitudinal Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIM, Cook & Kenny, 2005; Kenny & Ledermann, 2017) the investigators will test whether the intervention impacts mechanisms of change through actor (a person's own change), partner (friend's change) effects, or both (Aims 2a-2c).

Aim 2.a. Examine intervention effects on instrumental and relationships putative mediators, whether the putative predictors predict AISA.

In this aim the investigators will test pathways relevant to the proposed mediational pathways (intervention to mediator, and mediator to outcome).

Aim 2.b. Formally test actor (person's own change) mechanisms (indirect effects). Indirect effects through instrumental (readiness, FAPB skills, and perceived barriers) and relationship (closeness and collaboration) mechanisms will be tested. The investigators expect that the FMI will predict increases in closeness, collaboration, readiness, and FAPB skills, and decreases in perceived barriers, which in turn, will predict declines in AISA.

Aim 2.c. Formally test partner (friend's change) mechanisms (indirect effects). Indirect effects through friend's instrumental (readiness, FAPB skills, and perceived barriers) and relationship (closeness and collaboration) mechanisms will be tested. Because partner effects have not previously been examined, tests of partner effects are viewed as exploratory and no specific hypotheses are offered.

This Phase 2 trial will help to establish the efficacy of an intervention that harnesses the power of friends to address the significant public health problem of campus-based AISA. This study also will shed needed light on the mechanisms and complex nature of dyadic change that occurs in response to such an intervention. Findings will lay the groundwork for Phase 3 work.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 560
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Jennifer P Read, Ph.D.; Phone Number: 7166450193; Email: jpread@buffalo.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Dylan Vlaovich; Phone Number: 716-310-3965; Email: dylanvla@buffalo.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • Buffalo, New York, United States, 14260
      • University at Buffalo Department of Psychology

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Women
• 4 or more drinks in a single sitting 2 or more times monthly in the past 3 months
• does not live at home with parents
• reports going out (not necessarily drinking) with the other member of their dyad > 1/week

Exclusion Criteria:

• Can not speak and understand English sufficiently

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: FMI	Behavioral: Friend-Based Motivational Interview; The intervention will use Motivational Interviewing's (MI) collaborative conversation style for strengthening commitment to change, to motivate and prepare women to work together to reduce Sexual Assault (SA) risk. This intervention will target ways that the friend dyad may support, encourage, and share responsibility with one another in protecting against SA. The Friend-based MI (FMI) will then use the responsibility and relationship of friends as a framework to foster collaborative efforts to increase readiness and decrease barriers to helping behavior. As part of this, the FMI will focus on the identification and implementation of skills friends can use to help one another prevent sexual assault. FMI will include a focused discussion of the ways drinking may impede helping efforts. Moreover, the FMI will encourage women to identify personal, specific strategies for reducing the effects of alcohol on helping.
Active Comparator: treatment-as-usual	Behavioral: Treatment as usual (TAU); This 65-minute single-session stand-alone course is a supplemental component of the EverFi (Vector Solutions) Sexual Assault Prevention for Undergraduate Students prevention suite that is administered in an online didactic format. All participants (intervention and control) will have completed the basic course of the Sexual Assault Prevention for Undergraduate Students at matriculation, per university requirements. For the current study, the supplemental Healthy Relationships component will be administered only to participants assigned to the control condition. Healthy Relationships focuses on relationship skills, strategies for taking action in risky situations, and intervention skill practice.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Alcohol-Involved Sexual Assault	Revised Sexual Experiences Survey (R-SES) will be used to assess each social occasion with the target friend in the prior 2 weeks. Each item will be coded 1 (yes) or 0 (no), based on whether it happened to the woman/friend on each occasion that the pair socialized together.	This will be completed during Baseline, 1 month follow-up, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up, 9 month follow-up, and 12 month follow-up
Change in Drinking	Using a grid-based average assessment measure based in the Daily Drinking Questionnaire, participants will report on alcohol consumption. Higher scores indicate greater alcohol consumption.	This will be completed during Baseline, 1 month follow-up, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up, 9 month follow-up, and 12 month follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Readiness to Intervene	Participants will use an 11-point likert-type scale modeled after the Readiness Ruler to rate their readiness for intervening. Responses range from 0 (I never think about my and/or my friend's risk of being sexually assaulted) to 10 (I am actively and consistently taking steps to protect myself and/or my friends from sexual assault), with higher scores indicating a greater readiness to intervene.	This will be completed during Baseline, 1 month follow-up, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up, 9 month follow-up, and 12 month follow-up
Change in Peer-Directed Bystander Behaviors Scale for Strangers	We used a modified version of The Bystander Behaviors Scale for Strangers is a 44-item measure which includes 4 sub-scales (1) the identification of sexual assault risk situations, (2) accessing resources, (3) planning ahead for risk situations, and (4) safety behaviors in risk settings. Response option include (0) No I did not engage in this behavior, (1) Yes I did engage in this behavior, or (missing) I did not perceive an opportunity to engage in this behavior. A higher endorsement of "Yes" (higher score) engaging in the behaviors is considered to indicate a greater use of strategies to prevent sexual assault.	This will be completed during Baseline, 1 month follow-up, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up, 9 month follow-up, and 12 month follow-up
Changes to Assault Protective Strategies	The Friend-based Assault Protective Strategies Assessment uses 20 items to assess sexual assault preventive strategy use. Responses range from 1 (Not at all) to 4 (A lot), with higher scores indicating a greater use of strategies to prevent sexual assault.	This will be completed during Baseline, 1 month follow-up, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up, 9 month follow-up, and 12 month follow-up
Change to Barriers to Sexual Assault Bystander Intervention	The Barriers to Sexual Assault Bystander Intervention Scale is a 16-item measure to assess barriers to intervening. Responses range from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree), with higher scores indicating greater perceived barriers to intervening.	This will be completed during Baseline, 1 month follow-up, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up, 9 month follow-up, and 12 month follow-up
Change to Concerns About Intervening	The Concerns About Intervening Scale uses 6 items to assess perceived barriers to intervening, focused on worries. Responses range from 1 (Not at all true) to 6 (Very much true), with higher scores indicating greater perceived barriers to intervening.	This will be completed during Baseline, 1 month follow-up, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up, 9 month follow-up, and 12 month follow-up
Change to Bystander Intervention Behavior	This is a 10 item measure to assess the behaviors woman take to intervene in potentially risky situations. Each item is a statement and the participant rates on a 7 point likert type scale how much they agree (from strongly disagree to strongly agree) with a higher number indicating they strongly agree with the statement.	This will be completed during Baseline, 1 month follow-up, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up, 9 month follow-up, and 12 month follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: State University of New York at Buffalo
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jennifer P Read, Ph.D., University at Buffalo

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2030
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 19, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 19, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 25, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 23, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 20, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Drinking Behavior; Alcohol Drinking; Behavior; Alcohol Drinking in College; Therapeutics
• Other Study ID Numbers: 00009969

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: The investigators will share a de-identified data set which will include baseline demographics and readiness to intervene, friend-based assault protective strategy use, perception of barriers to intervening outcomes, alcohol use, and sexual assault outcomes.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: There must be an articulation of a clear research question and analytic plan by an established investigator with the relevant credentials. The information will be shared as a digital file through email.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF; ANALYTIC_CODE; CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No