How parents' day-to-day actions help teens with alcohol and other mental health problems
Assessing Parenting at the Momentary Level to Understand Parenting Behaviors that Contribute to Improved Treatment Outcomes for Youth with Co-Occurring Disorders
This project will track parents' moment-to-moment behaviors during their teen's outpatient treatment to identify which actions help adolescents with alcohol use and co-occurring psychiatric conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University (Charles River Campus) NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11177888 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your teen is enrolled in an intensive outpatient program for alcohol use and other mental health challenges, researchers will ask parents and teens to answer brief phone prompts several times a day about parenting interactions, mood, cravings, and any substance use. The team will link these real-time reports to treatment progress to find which specific parenting behaviors are tied to better outcomes. The approach uses momentary assessments in daily life rather than only relying on session reports or memory. Participation typically involves short surveys on a smartphone while your family is in treatment.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents with alcohol use disorder and at least one co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis who are enrolled in an intensive outpatient program, along with their parent or primary caregiver.
Not a fit: Teens without alcohol use issues, adults, or families not participating in an outpatient program are unlikely to be eligible or to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could help shape family-focused treatments by identifying specific parent behaviors that improve teens' recovery from alcohol use and co-occurring disorders.
How similar studies have performed: Family-involved treatments have shown better outcomes for adolescent substance use, but using real-time, momentary monitoring of parenting during outpatient treatment is a newer approach with limited prior evidence.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University (Charles River Campus) — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Meisel, Samuel Noah — Boston University (Charles River Campus)
- Study coordinator: Meisel, Samuel Noah
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.