Brief online program to support young adults' romantic relationships and reduce drinking
Developing a Brief Online Intervention Addressing Young Adult Romantic Relationship Functioning and Alcohol Use
A 45-minute web app will be offered to 18–30-year-olds in relationships to strengthen relationship skills and provide personalized feedback to help reduce alcohol use.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11369226 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You'll help shape and try a short web app that combines relationship support with personalized feedback about drinking. The team will run four co-design workshops with young adults and experts to build the app, then observe people using the prototype while they 'think aloud' to refine it. Finally, 107 romantically partnered young adults will use the app in a single-arm feasibility study to check usability, acceptability, engagement, and whether the approach targets changes linked to drinking.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Romantically partnered young adults aged about 18–30 who drink alcohol and are willing to use a 45-minute web app are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People older than 30, those not in romantic relationships, or individuals with severe alcohol dependence who need specialized treatment may not benefit from this brief online approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could provide a quick, easy-to-access online tool to improve relationship functioning and lower risky drinking among young adults.
How similar studies have performed: Prior online relationship education and technology-adapted motivational interviewing have shown promise for reducing young-adult alcohol misuse, but this specific brief, co-designed YA-focused web app is a new application.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University Medical Campus — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Murchison, Gabriel R — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Murchison, Gabriel R
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.