Relationships and Alcohol Use Disorder Risk
Official title: Close Relationships and Alcohol Use Disorder Risk
Funded at Carnegie-Mellon University · NIH-11399822 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study asks how relationship quality between young adult couples influences growing risk for heavy drinking and alcohol use disorder.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Carnegie-Mellon University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $617,337 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA031009-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11399822 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are young adult drinkers (21+) in steady relationships willing to participate with a partner.
✕Less likely to help
Participants not experiencing relationship-related risk factors or not willing to engage with partner-based assessments may see limited benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon will study 252 couples where each partner is 21 or older to see how relationship quality affects how they experience alcohol and social rewards. The project combines alcohol administration methods with social psychology insights to build a model of how lower relationship quality may lead to heavier drinking over time. By following couples over the study period, they aim to identify mechanisms linking relationship dynamics to increased AUD symptoms.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could inform couple- and relationship-focused strategies to reduce risky drinking and AUD development.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows links between relationship quality and drinking, but this project seeks to clarify mechanisms in real-time with a novel integration of approaches.
Where this research is happening
-
Carnegie-Mellon University
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Creswell, Kasey G. — Carnegie-Mellon University
- Study coordinator: Creswell, Kasey G.
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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.