AOD MisuseNCT02187887
Online Program for Young Adult Veteran Drinkers
A study testing Personalized normative feedback in people with AOD Misuse and AOD Associated Consequences, run by RAND at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The primary objective of the research study is to test the feasibility of a brief Internet-based intervention to reduce heavy alcohol use among young adult veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans are recruited through the social media website Facebook in two phases. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 34 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- AOD Misuse, AOD Associated Consequences
- What is being tested?
- Personalized normative feedback
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 793 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- May 2015to 1 Oct 2017
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 34 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- United States veteran from Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn who has been discharged or separated from the Army, Navy, Marines, or Air Force and is not currently in the reserves
- between the ages of 18 and 34
- the ability to read English (also a requirement of military service)
- access to a computer and the Internet
- has an email address 6) an AUDIT score of >4 (men) or >3 (women) in order to reach those who may benefit from an intervention targeted toward reducing alcohol misuse
Who cannot join
- None besides not meeting inclusion criteria
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Brief Online Intervention to Reduce Heavy Alcohol Use Among Young Adult Veterans
The primary objective of the research study is to test the feasibility of a brief Internet-based intervention to reduce heavy alcohol use among young adult veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans are recruited through the social media website Facebook in two phases. In the first phase, investigators collect data from 800 veteran participants to document and analyze drinking norms in this population. In the second phase, investigators use the norms collected in Phase 1 and information from the analyses to develop and pilot test an online intervention with young adult veteran participants. Six hundred participants are recruited through Facebook and randomly assigned to intervention (N = 300) or control (N = 300) conditions. It is hypothesized that those in the intervention condition will drink less at a one-month follow-up period than those in the control condition. Investigators also collect feedback from participants on the usability of the online intervention.
Read the detailed description
This study was conducted in two phases with the main goal of developing and testing a very brief online program to reduce heavy alcohol use among young adult veterans in the United States.
In the first phase, we examined how the social media website Facebook could be used to reach veterans in the community for the intervention effort. Although veterans are an at-risk group for heavy drinking and mental health problems, few seek care. Thus, we were able to document that targeted Facebook advertisements can be used to reach out to veterans and provide them with an alcohol reduction program that they likely would not have received otherwise.
In the second phase, we used the data we collected from participants in the first phase to develop a personalized normative feedback intervention. This intervention was very brief and online, and showed young veterans information to correct their misperceptions about the drinking behavior of their peers. For example, in the intervention, young veterans would be asked how much they believe other veterans like themselves drink alcohol. Then, they would view information about veterans like themselves that showed them that other veterans do not drink as much as they think they do. This is important because much research has documented that perceptions about how much others drink is a major factor contributing to how much one drinks themselves. Thus, correcting these misperceptions has been a primary strategy for reducing drinking among young people. These norms correction strategies have mostly been tested with college students or other non-veteran young adult groups, and when they have been tested with veterans they have been tested within much lengthier, multicomponent interventions. Our study was the first to test the norms correction strategy alone with young veterans using an online design meant to reach veterans in the community through recruitment on Facebook.
- Conditions
- AOD Misuse, AOD Associated Consequences
- Being tested
- Personalized normative feedback
- Keywords
- alcohol, young adult veterans, brief intervention, online, perceived norms
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Personalized normative feedbackBehavioural
Also called PNF
Participants receive behavioral norms feedback based on their response to items in a baseline survey. Personal responses are presented along with perceptions of other same gender veterans and actual drinking norms of same gender veterans.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Personalized normative feedback | Experimental | Intervention participants receive feedback correcting their misperceptions of the drinking behavior and attitudes of fellow veterans Receives: Behavioral: Personalized normative feedback |
| Control | No intervention | Control participants receive feedback correcting their misperceptions of the video game playing behavior and attitudes of fellow veterans |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Alcohol Use
Total drinks per week in the past 30 days
Measured: Past month (30 days)
Alcohol-related Consequences
Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire. This is a 21 item measure of alcohol-related consequences experienced by young adults. Participants indicate whether or not they have experienced each of the consequences in the past month (1 = yes, 0 = no). Scores range from 0 to 21 with higher scores indicated a greater number of consequences experienced.
Citation: Kahler, C. W., Strong, D. R., \& Read, J. P. (2005). Toward efficient and comprehensive measurement of the alcohol problems continuum in college students: The Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 29(7), 1180-1189.
Measured: Past month (30 days)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted11 Jul 2014 (estimated)
- Study startMay 2015
- Primary completionApr 2016
- Study completion1 Oct 2017
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Publications (2)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for AOD MisuseStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 793 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- RAND
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Eric R Pedersen, PhD, Principal investigator, RAND
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02187887
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- R34AA022400
- Other IDs
- R34AA022400
- Status last verified
- May 2019
- First submitted
- 9 Jul 2014
- Last updated
- 26 Mar 2025
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Publications
Pedersen ER, Marshall GN, Schell TL. Study protocol for a web-based personalized normative feedback alcohol intervention for young adult veterans. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2016 Mar 31;11(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s13722-016-0055-8.
PubMed 27036408Pedersen ER, Helmuth ED, Marshall GN, Schell TL, PunKay M, Kurz J. Using facebook to recruit young adult veterans: online mental health research. JMIR Res Protoc. 2015 Jun 1;4(2):e63. doi: 10.2196/resprot.3996.
PubMed 26033209
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 26 Mar 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Brief Online Intervention to Reduce Heavy Alcohol Use Among Young Adult Veterans
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02187887
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- R34AA022400
- Conditions
- AOD Misuse, AOD Associated Consequences
- Keywords
- alcohol, young adult veterans, brief intervention, online, perceived norms
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 793 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- RANDUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Study start
- May 2015
- Primary completion
- Apr 2016 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Oct 2017 (actual)
- First posted
- 11 Jul 2014 (estimated)
- Results
- Posted 17 Apr 2018
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The primary objective of the research study is to test the feasibility of a brief Internet-based intervention to reduce heavy alcohol use among young adult veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans are recruited through the social media website Facebook in two phases. In the first phase, investigators collect data from 800 veteran participants to document and analyze drinking norms in this population. In the second phase, investigators use the norms collected in Phase 1 and information from the analyses to develop and pilot test an online intervention with young adult veteran participants. Six hundred participants are recruited through Facebook and randomly assigned to intervention (N = 300) or control (N = 300) conditions. It is hypothesized that those in the intervention condition will drink less at a one-month follow-up period than those in the control condition. Investigators also collect feedback from participants on the usability of the online intervention.
Detailed description
This study was conducted in two phases with the main goal of developing and testing a very brief online program to reduce heavy alcohol use among young adult veterans in the United States.
In the first phase, we examined how the social media website Facebook could be used to reach veterans in the community for the intervention effort. Although veterans are an at-risk group for heavy drinking and mental health problems, few seek care. Thus, we were able to document that targeted Facebook advertisements can be used to reach out to veterans and provide them with an alcohol reduction program that they likely would not have received otherwise.
In the second phase, we used the data we collected from participants in the first phase to develop a personalized normative feedback intervention. This intervention was very brief and online, and showed young veterans information to correct their misperceptions about the drinking behavior of their peers. For example, in the intervention, young veterans would be asked how much they believe other veterans like themselves drink alcohol. Then, they would view information about veterans like themselves that showed them that other veterans do not drink as much as they think they do. This is important because much research has documented that perceptions about how much others drink is a major factor contributing to how much one drinks themselves. Thus, correcting these misperceptions has been a primary strategy for reducing drinking among young people. These norms correction strategies have mostly been tested with college students or other non-veteran young adult groups, and when they have been tested with veterans they have been tested within much lengthier, multicomponent interventions. Our study was the first to test the norms correction strategy alone with young veterans using an online design meant to reach veterans in the community through recruitment on Facebook.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Personalized normative feedback | Experimental | Behavioral: Personalized normative feedbackIntervention participants receive feedback correcting their misperceptions of the drinking behavior and attitudes of fellow veterans |
| Control | No intervention | –Control participants receive feedback correcting their misperceptions of the video game playing behavior and attitudes of fellow veterans |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 34 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- United States veteran from Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn who has been discharged or separated from the Army, Navy, Marines, or Air Force and is not currently in the reserves
- between the ages of 18 and 34
- the ability to read English (also a requirement of military service)
- access to a computer and the Internet
- has an email address 6) an AUDIT score of >4 (men) or >3 (women) in order to reach those who may benefit from an intervention targeted toward reducing alcohol misuse
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- None besides not meeting inclusion criteria
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Personalized normative feedbackAlso: PNFParticipants receive behavioral norms feedback based on their response to items in a baseline survey. Personal responses are presented along with perceptions of other same gender veterans and actual drinking norms of same gender veterans. | Behavioural | Personalized normative feedback |
Primary outcome
Alcohol Use
Time frame: Past month (30 days)
Total drinks per week in the past 30 days
Alcohol-related Consequences
Time frame: Past month (30 days)
Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire. This is a 21 item measure of alcohol-related consequences experienced by young adults. Participants indicate whether or not they have experienced each of the consequences in the past month (1 = yes, 0 = no). Scores range from 0 to 21 with higher scores indicated a greater number of consequences experienced. Citation: Kahler, C. W., Strong, D. R., \& Read, J. P. (2005). Toward efficient and comprehensive measurement of the alcohol problems continuum in college students: The Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 29(7), 1180-1189.
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 26 Mar 2025.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 27036408Pedersen ER, Marshall GN, Schell TL. Study protocol for a web-based personalized normative feedback alcohol intervention for young adult veterans. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2016 Mar 31;11(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s13722-016-0055-8.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 26033209Pedersen ER, Helmuth ED, Marshall GN, Schell TL, PunKay M, Kurz J. Using facebook to recruit young adult veterans: online mental health research. JMIR Res Protoc. 2015 Jun 1;4(2):e63. doi: 10.2196/resprot.3996.
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Eric R Pedersen, PhD principal investigator
RAND
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Personalized normative feedback in people with AOD Misuse and AOD Associated Consequences, run by RAND at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 26 Mar 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 17 Apr 2018). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Alcohol Use (time frame: Past month (30 days)). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02187887, which also lists 2 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 26 Mar 2025.