Using smartphone data to understand how anxiety and drinking happen together
Digital Phenotyping of Anxiety and Anxiety-Related Alcohol Comorbidity and Treatment
This project uses brief phone surveys and passive phone sensors to learn how anxiety and alcohol use interact in adults who drink and have anxiety.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11142436 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll answer short surveys on your phone throughout the day and allow the study app to passively record things like movement and location from your phone. Researchers will combine these momentary reports with sensor data to map your personal patterns of mood and drinking over time. The team will use those person-specific patterns to explore how anxiety episodes relate to drinking and to identify moments when extra support might help. The goal is to use real-time data to design more personalized ways to reduce drinking and manage anxiety.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults aged 21 or older who experience anxiety and drink alcohol regularly, and who are willing to use a smartphone app and allow passive phone-based sensing, are the best fit.
Not a fit: People under 21, those who do not drink alcohol, or individuals unwilling or unable to use a smartphone for surveys and passive sensing are unlikely to benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to personalized, just-in-time support that reduces drinking and improves anxiety control for people with both conditions.
How similar studies have performed: Related digital-monitoring and CBT-based approaches have shown modest benefits, but truly personalized digital-phenotyping interventions for anxiety-related drinking are still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Newark, UNITED STATES
- Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences — Newark, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Piccirillo, Marilyn — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Piccirillo, Marilyn
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.