Helping parents talk to their kids about alcohol use

Developing a Brief Intervention for Parental Alcohol Socialization to be Delivered by Pediatric Providers: A Feasibility Study

NIH-funded research Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-10703498

This study is testing a friendly way for doctors to help parents talk to their kids about alcohol as they get ready for middle school, making it easier for families to have these important conversations during regular check-ups and with helpful follow-up texts.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniv of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Chapel Hill, United States)
Project IDNIH-10703498 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This research aims to create a brief intervention that pediatric healthcare providers can use to help parents discuss alcohol use with their children, particularly as they approach middle school. The intervention will be delivered during routine well-child visits and will include follow-up text messages tailored to parents' attitudes about alcohol. By focusing on the home environment, this approach seeks to prevent early alcohol use and its associated problems. The goal is to make this intervention accessible and effective for families, leveraging the existing healthcare system.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this research are parents of children who are about to enter middle school, particularly those who may benefit from guidance on discussing alcohol use.

Not a fit: Patients who are not parents or whose children are not in the targeted age group may not receive any benefit from this research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this research could empower parents to have more effective conversations with their children about alcohol, potentially reducing early alcohol use and its negative consequences.

How similar studies have performed: Previous research has shown that family-oriented interventions can be effective in preventing alcohol use among adolescents, suggesting that this approach has the potential for success.

Where this research is happening

Chapel Hill, 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.