Mom Wine Club: How Maternal Identity and Drinking Influence Mothers
Official title: Mom Wine Club: Drinking and Parenting Effects of Maternal Identity and Ingroup Alcohol Use
Funded at Texas A&m University · NIH-11314702 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study with mothers of young children will look at how identifying with a social group that normalizes drinking affects real-life alcohol use.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas A&m University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (College Station, United States) |
| Project start | July 20, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $237,595 |
| NIH project number | 1R21AA031130-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11314702 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are women of childbearing age who are mothers or pregnant/parenting in early postpartum and who identify with maternal or social-group norms around drinking.
✕Less likely to help
Results may not directly benefit women without children or those who do not engage with social groups around motherhood.
What this research studies
Most US women of childbearing age are mothers who form a maternal identity, and this project asks how that identity and social group cues influence drinking behavior. Researchers will test neural cues linked to alcohol salience and how maternal identity may amplify or dampen real-world drinking patterns over time. The study uses a mix of behavioral measures, self-reports, and possibly neural data to understand these links and their implications for mothers and infants. The project aims to uncover whether the “wine mom” idea shares brain mechanisms with other social drinking cues and how this relates to drinking trajectories.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could inform interventions and guidance to support healthier drinking choices among mothers.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research shows social cues and identity can influence drinking behavior, but this study investigates a specific cultural phenomenon and its neural underpinnings.
Where this research is happening
-
Texas A&m University
College Station, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Brooker, Rebecca — Texas A&m University
- Study coordinator: Brooker, Rebecca
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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.