Brief parent program to reduce college student drinking and cannabis use

A randomized clinical trial: Examining a brief parent-intervention to reduce college student drinking and cannabis use

NIH-funded research Pennsylvania State University, the · NIH-11146418

A short program for parents to help their college-age children lower risky drinking and cannabis use.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionPennsylvania State University, the NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (University Park, United States)
Project IDNIH-11146418 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you're a parent of a college student, this project offers an online, brief parent-intervention (e-PBI+) that adds guidance about cannabis and using alcohol and cannabis together. Parents receive materials and prompts to help start conversations, and families are randomly assigned to the enhanced program or the standard version. The study tracks students' drinking, cannabis use, and related problems over time using brief surveys from both parents and students. The team will look at whether the added cannabis content leads to fewer risky behaviors and harms during college.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal participants are college students and their parents who are willing to complete brief online materials and follow-up surveys, typically enrolled at U.S. colleges.

Not a fit: Students with severe substance use disorders who need clinical treatment, or students without parent contact or who do not live away at college, may not benefit from a parent-focused prevention program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help parents reduce their students' risky drinking, cannabis use, and harms from using both substances together.

How similar studies have performed: Previous parent-based interventions have shown success in reducing college student risky drinking, but adding cannabis- and co-use-specific content is relatively new and not well tested.

Where this research is happening

University Park, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.