How peers help reduce alcohol-related harm among young adults
Characteristics and Contexts of Bystander Helping for Alcohol-Related Risk among Emerging Adults
This project looks at how young adults step in to help friends avoid dangerous drinking situations and what makes those actions work.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brown University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11088183 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be asked to share real-life experiences when friends were drinking and whether anyone stepped in to help. The team will work with a community advisory group and run a pilot to finalize how they collect brief, event-level reports from participants. They will link those moment-to-moment reports with individual differences (like attitudes and past behavior) to see when helping happens. The researchers will also look at how different helping actions affect both the helper and the person at risk.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are emerging adults (late teens to mid-twenties) who spend time around peers who drink or who drink themselves and are willing to report on real-world events.
Not a fit: People outside the emerging adult age range or those with severe alcohol use disorders who need clinical treatment are less likely to benefit directly from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help reduce alcohol-related harm among young adults by informing programs that encourage effective peer intervention.
How similar studies have performed: Bystander programs have shown promise in areas like sexual assault prevention, but applying this approach specifically to hazardous alcohol situations is newer and less tested.
Where this research is happening
Providence, United States
- Brown University — Providence, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Barnett, Nancy P — Brown University
- Study coordinator: Barnett, Nancy P
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.