Hybrid Type 1 Trial of a Parent-Based Intervention Addressing Social Media and Adolescent Alcohol Use

A Hybrid Type 1 Effectiveness Implementation Trial of a Parent-Based Intervention to Address Social Media Influences on Adolescent Alcohol Outcomes

The central goal of this application is to conduct a Hybrid Type 1 effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial to test the comparative effectiveness of an alcohol and social media parent-based intervention (PBI), compared to both a combined approach whereby parents receive the alcohol and social media PBI and adolescents receive an alcohol and social media personalized feedback intervention (PFI) and to an efficacious alcohol PBI handbook. Additionally, we will determine key implementation determinants that are crucial to optimizing effectiveness when delivered in community settings. The proposed study will address each of these goals in turn by enrolling parent and adolescent (age 12-17) dyads and collaborating with key community members.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Adolescent Alcohol Use
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Combined Alcohol and Social Media PBI and PFI; Behavioral: Alcohol and Social Media PBI; Behavioral: Power of Parents

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 900
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Dana Litt, PhD; Phone Number: 3032044109; Email: dana.litt@uta.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Parents/legal guardian inclusion criteria:

• Have a child between the ages of 12-17 who lives with them
• Believe that their child is active on at least one social media platform
• Live in Texas
• Provide a valid email and phone number
• Own a cell phone with text messaging capabilities and be okay with receiving messages
• Provide valid contact information for their adolescent
• Willing to participate in respective phase.

Adolescent inclusion criteria:

• Have an eligible parent with whom they live
• Age 12-17
• Live in Texas
• Active at least weekly on at least one social media platform
• Provide a valid phone number and email address
• Own a cell phone with text messaging capabilities and be okay with receiving text messages,
• Willing to participate in respective phase

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

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Alcohol and Social Media PBI and Adolescent Alcohol and Social Media PFI; Parents will receive the alcohol and social media PBI and adolescents will receive a brief alcohol and social media PFI based on our previous work. The PFI will use data from the adolescent baseline survey to create personalized alcohol and social media intervention feedback including normative comparisons to peers and summaries of risk behaviors. Adolescents will be encouraged to complete the PFI in one sitting but can revisit as many times as they like.	Behavioral: Combined Alcohol and Social Media PBI and PFI; Parents will receive the alcohol and social media PBI and adolescents will receive a brief alcohol and social media PFI based on our previous work (PI: Litt, R21AA024163; Litt et al., 2023; Lewis et al., 2019; Larimer et al., 2021, 2023). The PFI will use data from the adolescent baseline survey to create personalized alcohol and social media intervention feedback including normative comparisons to peers and summaries of risk behaviors. Adolescents will be encouraged to complete the PFI in one sitting but can revisit as many times as they like.
Active Comparator: Alcohol and Social Media PBI; The alcohol and social media PBI will be based on our pilot work (R34AA026332) and updated/tailored based on Aim 1 FGs. The PBI will be delivered via a web-based format such that parents will be sent an email and a text message containing a URL to the alcohol and social media PBI website along with guidelines for working through the modules (see below for overview of modules). The website will allow parents to navigate through the modules at their own pace/sequence. Each module will have interactive elements including animations, infographics, and videos to highlight key content. Parents will be sent one text message per week encouraging them to use the website.	Behavioral: Alcohol and Social Media PBI; The alcohol and social media PBI will be based on our pilot work (R34AA026332) and updated/tailored based on Aim 1 FGs. The PBI will be delivered via a web-based format such that parents will be sent an email and a text message containing a URL to the alcohol and social media PBI website along with guidelines for working through the modules (see below for overview of modules). The website will allow parents to navigate through the modules at their own pace/sequence. Each module will have interactive elements including animations, infographics, and videos to highlight key content. Parents will be sent one text message per week encouraging them to use the website.
Active Comparator: Alcohol PBI; Parents will be emailed a link to the Power of Parents Handbook, which is a 52- page static PBI handbook (Turrisi et al., 2001, 2009, 2013) housed on the MADD website offered in English and Spanish. The alcohol PBI instructs parents to use an empathic communication style while providing information about alcohol use.	Behavioral: Power of Parents; Parents will be emailed a link to the Power of Parents Handbook, which is a 52- page static PBI handbook (Turrisi et al., 2001, 2009, 2013) housed on the MADD website offered in English and Spanish. The alcohol PBI instructs parents to use an empathic communication style while providing information about alcohol use.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Drinking Refusal Self-Efficacy	The Drinking Refusal Self-Efficacy Questionnaire will assess beliefs in one's ability to resist alcohol (Young et al., 2007; α = .96). Responses range from 1 (I am very sure I would drink) to 6 (I am sure I would not drink) with higher scores indicating greater drinking refusal self-efficacy.	Baseline, 1, 6, 12 month assessments
Alcohol-related social media communication	Alcohol-related social media communication between parents and adolescents will be assessed using the "Alcohol-related Social Media Communication Scale, which is adapted from Turrisi et al., 2000; α = .96). Participants will indicate whether they spoke about a range of topics (yes/no) in the past month with higher scores indicating greater alcohol-related social media communication.	Baseline, 1, 6, 12 month assessments
Alcohol Willingness	The willingness measure will assess adolescent willingness to drink in certain scenarios (α = .85; Gerrard et al., 2008) using a response rage of 0 (not at all willing) to 4 (extremely willing). Higher scores indicate greater willingness to use alcohol.	Baseline, 1, 6, 12 month assessments

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Alcohol Initiation	Alcohol initiation for those who abstain at baseline will be calculated as time-to-event from baseline date to participants' reported date of first use using timeline follow-back methods (Sobell & Sobell, 1992) and reporting the approximate date they first used alcohol, an approach used in our current work (R01AA025611).	Baseline, 1, 6, 12 month assessments

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Texas at Arlington
• Collaborators: University of Washington; University of North Texas Health Science Center; UTHealth Houston

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): July 1, 2027
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2030
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 15, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 18, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 24, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 24, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 18, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Drinking Behavior; Alcohol Drinking; Behavior; Adolescent Behavior; Underage Drinking; Organic Chemicals; Alcohols; Ethanol
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2025-619

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

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